When I was in college, I would stay up until all hours of the night. Video games. Tabletop games. Hanging out with friends. I always paid for it the next day (see: my grade point average), but never learned my lesson. I was always tired.

Now that I’m an adult with kids (and dogs) of my own, I feel a different kind of tired and weary. I’m still awake when I shouldn’t be, but now it’s to check what the noise was, or to worry about all of the things I said but shouldn’t have.

The kind of rest that will cure this kind of tiredness is actually easy to come by. Here’s the secret: sleep more. You’re welcome; you’ll be receiving my bill in the mail.

That’s not the rest that Jesus talked about, though. For too long, I didn’t understand that. If I’m being honest, I didn’t really know what God’s rest really was. What am I resting from? I still have responsibilities, kids, a job, life.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28–30 (NLT)

Thankfully the author of the book of Hebrews showed me the way. Hebrews 4 is all about God’s rest. We learn that God’s rest comes in two parts. First, we enter God’s rest when we believe in Christ’s finished work on the cross.

“For we who have believed enter that rest …”

Hebrews 4:3a (NLT)

We enter God’s rest when we believe and are saved, but the final consummation of God’s rest comes with Christ’s return. Then we will finally get to fully understand what God’s rest is really like!

But that still doesn’t explain what we are resting from.

“for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”

Hebrews 4:10 (NLT)

There it is. When we enter God’s rest, we rest from our work, just like God rested from His. We rest from the exhausting, futile, unpleasant work of trying to earn our way to heaven. We rest from the desire to prove our righteousness to God over and over again.

Belief in Christ as our Lord and Savior includes the acknowledgment that we are all sinners and can do nothing to earn our salvation. Entering God’s rest means we can stop trying.

How refreshing is that? I don’t know about you, but constantly trying to please God is exhausting to me. It’s such a joy to know that He is already well-pleased with us! Knowing that lifts a weight off us, allowing us to work to bring Him glory, knowing that whatever meager effort we can give is already pleasing in His sight!

10 Bible Verses Reminding Us to Find Rest in God