Area of life
Body and rest
Health, rest, food and sleep: caring for God's gift.
God might be speaking to you here if
- you are constantly tired and running on coffee
- you use food, alcohol or screens to switch off
- you dislike your body and compare it with others
- you have ignored a health problem for too long
What this is
God made your body, Jesus took on a body, and the Holy Spirit lives in yours. How you treat it is part of how you honour Him.
God built rest into creation. Sleep is a daily act of trust that the world keeps turning without you. When Elijah was exhausted, God first gave him food and sleep.
Food, exercise and rest are good gifts, but they can become idols or escapes. Aim for a body cared for well enough to serve God and others, not a perfect one. If food or your body feels out of your control, talk to a doctor today.
My verses
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.
For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well.
In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for bread to eat— for He gives sleep to His beloved.
And He said to them, “Come with Me privately to a solitary place, and let us rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.
Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” And he looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. A second time the angel of the LORD returned and touched him, saying, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. And strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.
Where to next
- Set a bedtimeChoose a bedtime and keep it five nights this week. Leave the phone outside the bedroom.
- Take one real rest dayTake a day with no work and no errands. Rest, worship, eat with people, go outside.
- Move for twenty minutesWalk, run, ride or swim three times this week. Pray, or just enjoy creation.
- Thank God at mealsPause before eating and thank Him, instead of eating on autopilot.
- Book the appointmentIf you've been putting off a health issue, call the doctor this week. Caring for your body is not a lack of faith.
What grows here
Pray
Creator God, thank You for my body. Help me rest without guilt, eat with thankfulness and care for what You have made. Let my body serve You.