Entering into God’s rest is a concept that is discussed throughout the Bible, beginning in Genesis with the account of creation and continuing through the New Testament teachings of Jesus and the apostles. At its core, God’s rest represents ceasing from our own works and fully trusting in God’s grace and provision. Here are some key principles from Scripture about how we can enter God’s rest:
Understand that God’s rest was established at creation
In Genesis 2:2-3, we read that on the seventh day after God had finished creating the heavens and the earth, He rested from all His work. This doesn’t mean that God was tired or needed a break. Rather, His rest signifies that the work of creation was complete and perfect. Nothing else needed to be added. As Hebrews 4:3 (ESV) explains, the works of creation were finished from the foundation of the world.
God’s rest at creation establishes a pattern for us to follow. We are called to trust that He has provided everything we need through Christ and to find our contentment and sufficiency in Him alone. Our work does not and cannot add anything to what God has already accomplished through creation and redemption.
We enter God’s rest by trusting in Christ’s finished work, not our own efforts
The writer of Hebrews uses the imagery of Israel entering the Promised Land to illustrate entering God’s rest. He warns the people not to harden their hearts and fail to enter as the Israelites failed to trust and obey God and thus wandered in the wilderness for 40 years until that unbelieving generation died (Hebrews 3:7-19).
Just as the Israelites could only enter the Promised Land by faith and obedience, we can only enter God’s rest through faith in Christ. We cease from trusting in our own works and striving and instead trust fully in Christ’s finished work on the cross. Salvation is by grace through faith, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). When we try to add our own efforts, we fail to enter God’s rest.
We enter God’s rest by yielding moment by moment to the Holy Spirit
Entering God’s rest is not just a one-time event but an ongoing posture. The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to “strive to enter that rest” (Hebrews 4:11) or “be diligent to enter that rest” (Hebrews 4:11 NKJV). As we yield control of our lives to the guidance of the Holy Spirit each day, moment by moment, we are entering God’s rest.
This requires humility, trust, and obedience as we surrender our will and ways to God’s perfect will. When we try to take control back through worry, anxiety or self-effort, we fail to enter His rest. But as we submit, trust, and obey, we experience the peace and assurance of resting in Him.
Entering God’s rest requires persevering faith and patience
The ultimate fulfillment of God’s rest is in eternity with Him, a promised inheritance for believers (Hebrews 4:1-2, 9). Until then, we get to experience foretastes of future rest as we walk in persevering faith.
There will be trials and struggles where our faith is tested. Entering God’s rest does not mean escaping all hardship or difficulty. But as we patiently endure, looking to Jesus as “the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), we can enter God’s rest even amidst the storms of life. His grace is sufficient for every season.
God’s rest brings cessation from self-effort and anxiety
A key barrier that keeps us from God’s rest is anxiety and striving. When we worry and try to control outcomes, we are acting as though God is not fully in control. Jesus taught that instead of being anxious, we should “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” and trust God to provide what we need (Matthew 6:25-34).
As we cease from worry and self-reliance and entrust our lives fully to God’s care, we experience the peace and rest that only He can provide. This happens as we come to Him with thanksgiving and prayer, turning our anxieties into praise and petitions (Philippians 4:6-7).
Entering God’s rest requires trusting His timing and purposes
Human nature tends toward impatience. We want things on our timing and terms. In contrast, entering God’s rest requires yielding to His perfect timing and purposes. When we try to rush ahead rather than waiting patiently on God, we demonstration lack of trust and submission to Him.
Several passages depict waiting on the Lord as a key to finding renewal and strength (Psalm 27:14; Isaiah 40:31). As we bring our requests to God and then trust His larger wisdom, we can experience rest and peace even in times of waiting.
God’s rest is not passive but actively ceasing from our own efforts
Entering God’s rest does not mean passively doing nothing. The concept of rest in Scripture includes a sense of cessation from anxious toil and fruitless works of self-effort. But this ceasing makes space for different work and activity centered around trust and obedience.
The fourth commandment was to observe Sabbath rest, which did not mean idly sitting around. Rather, it provided time to worship God, focus on Him, and participate in acts of mercy (Mark 2:23-28). As we actively yield our striving and busyness to God, we open the way for fruitful service in Him.
We receive strength through resting in God’s love and goodness
In Exodus 33, God reminds Moses that His presence goes with him and He will give him rest. This passage reveals that being in God’s presence brings true spiritual rest. It is the confidence that the God of the universe is with us.
Psalm 91 depicts finding rest in the shelter of God’s wings. Jesus also spoke of rest for our souls when we come to Him, take His yoke, and learn from Him (Matthew 11:28-30). As we abide in God’s love and goodness, we gain strength and renewal for each day.
Entering God’s rest requires yielding our whole lives to Him
We only fully enter God’s rest when we completely surrender every area of our lives to Him. This means our time, talents, treasures, relationships, work, priorities, habits, entertainment, and more. Holding anything back can hinder us from true rest.
In Matthew 11:29, Jesus says “Take my yoke upon you.” A yoke was used to link two animals together for unified effort. To take Christ’s yoke means submitting our whole lives to work alongside Him, fully united in purpose. As we yield wholly, we find wholly His rest.
God graciously reminds us of His rest when we forget or rebel
Our hearts are prone to forget God’s goodness and provision. We slip back into anxiety, self-effort, and distrust. But Scripture reveals that God patiently and mercifully reminds His people of His rest. His Spirit convicts and redirects us back into alignment with Him.
The sign of Sabbath rest was a perpetual covenant given to God’s people to remind them of His sanctification and provision (Exodus 31:12-17). Likewise, Jesus established Communion as an ongoing reminder of His finished work on the cross and promise of eternal rest with Him.
Entering God’s rest brings confidence in facing each day’s demands
Life is full of demands and pressures that can overwhelm us. Financial burdens, family responsibilities, health challenges, strained relationships, time constraints—the list goes on. But Scripture promises that when we enter God’s rest, we find strength and renewal for each day’s demands.
Isaiah 40:28-31 extols that “the Lord gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength” when we “wait upon the Lord” and trust in Him. Each day, His rest renews us to serve, work, and face trials with confidence in His provision.
We enter God’s rest through prayer, praise, Scripture, and other spiritual disciplines
Certain spiritual disciplines can help us grow in resting in God more fully. Daily prayer and praise focus our minds back on trust in Him. Reading and meditating on Scripture remind us of God’s truth and promises. Gathering in worship sustains and encourages our faith.
Fasting, solitude, fellowship can all reorder our priorities back toward seeking God’s kingdom first. By engaging in such disciplines, we actively position ourselves to receive more of God’s rest for each day and in eternity.
The ultimate fulfillment of God’s rest is in eternity with Him
While we can experience measures of God’s rest here and now, the fullest manifestation remains future. Hebrews 4:9 states, “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” Eternal life with God is pictured as a heavenly Promised Land of milk and honey.
Revelation 14:13 pronounces blessed those who die in the Lord, for they will eternally “rest from their labors.” While life now has trials and pain, eternity promises unending rest, renewal, and reward in God’s presence. This hope sustains us.
Entering God’s rest encompasses ceasing from self-effort, anxiety, and control and instead fully trusting in God’s grace, goodness, and sufficiency each day. It is both a now and not yet reality. As we step into deeper surrender and reliance on Christ, we experience more of the rest that only He provides now and forever.