Why We Must Embrace God’s Call to Rest When Burnout Hits

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When was the last time someone in your small group requested prayer for their struggle with burnout? 

It may be one of the most common ailments today that is talked about the least. Not only does burnout affect pastors who for years have left the ministry at an alarming rate due to stress and burnout, but it’s also now affecting two-thirds of Americans who work outside the home. And it’s not just those who have worked the same job for decades and plan to retire in the next ten years who are suffering. In a 2025 study of the workplace, more than 80 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds cited high levels of burnout, compared to 49 percent of those 55 and older.

Pastors, ministry leaders, and Christians with a strong work ethic often experience burnout because we serve, help, and constantly pour into others without taking time to recharge physically, emotionally, and spiritually. While ignoring it and working harder might seem like the heroic—or even the more spiritual—thing to do, it will only cause more damage in the long run to your health and relationships. 

Burnout is not an indication of your lack of faith or spiritual perseverance. Rather, it’s an overdue invitation—or command—to fully embrace God’s call to rest. Here are six reasons why we must embrace God’s call to rest when burnout hits.

1. Rest isn’t an option. It’s a command. 

God doesn’t just politely call us to rest; He commands it. In Exodus 20:8-10, God commanded His people to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work…” (ESV). Throughout Scripture, God equates rest with trust—relying on Him to provide as we stop the striving and rest in His care and provision. 

In Psalm 127:1-2, we read this advice from Solomon about our tendency to overwork and neglect rest:

“Unless the LORD builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.

It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep” (NASB1995).

When you and I are resting—sleeping for seven to eight hours a night and placing healthy limits around jour work time so we can fully prioritize our closest relationships through honoring a full day of rest—we must trust that God will continue working on our behalf while we’re resting in Him. Think about it. We demonstrate our trust in Him through our rest. To rest is to trust and to trust is to rest.

2. God considered rest ‘holy,’ not lazy. 

As seen in Genesis 1-2:3, we were designed to incorporate a full day of rest into every week. God even sanctified that day of rest—made it holy (Genesis 2:3). Most Christians consider Sunday as the day of rest (because they don’t go to work that day). But rather than see that day as a few hours to worship and then get back to work, consider ways you too can sanctify it by setting it apart, refusing to do the things you usually do on other days so you can focus your mind on God and the blessings He has given you.

If you’re involved in any type of local church ministry (whether paid or volunteer), Sundays can often be your busiest day of the week. Consider designating another day of the week to set aside for rest and communion with God, so you’re not continually pouring into others without allowing God to pour back into you. 

In the Old Testament, Sabbath rest started with sundown on Friday and extended to sundown the following evening. Today, many of us believe a 24-hour block of no work would simply get us too far behind. If you’re one who prefers a Saturday evening service in order to have a full day Sunday to work harder so you’re not quite so stressed during the coming week, consider the healing benefits of regularly taking a full day of rest to not only recharge physically and mentally, but to replenish your soul with time alone with God. For example, if you spend most of your workday on a computer, in meetings, or making phone calls, then refrain from those tasks on a day of rest. If your work involves physical labor, let your body physically reset without filling your day off with more physical labor around the house or for others. Resting more means trusting more that God will provide as you look to His model for work, rest, and productivity, rather than your own. It also gets us out of the mindset that we must work for God in order to earn a position in His kingdom. 

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/fizkes 

3. Even God rested, so why shouldn’t we?

God, who needs nothing, chose to rest a full day from His labor after creating the world in six days. This wasn’t because He was tired, but because the work of creation was complete, and it was good—nothing more needed to be done. The very mention of God’s full day of rest after six days of creating the world shows us a weekly model for a healthy rhythm of work and rest. Genesis 1 specifically states six times the phrase: “and there was evening, and there was morning—the [second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth] day” (verses 3, 6, 13, 19, 23, 31), so that we clearly understand the 24-hour concept and rhythm of working, pausing, working again, and eventually getting a full day of rest as the work (for each week) is complete. 

When Jesus, God in the flesh, came to Earth, He too modeled rest for us. He ministered to others at a rate that would give any of us burnout today. Yet, He was able to do all He did without succumbing to the symptoms of burnout by regularly going away to be with His Father alone (Matthew 14:13; John 6:15). On some occasions, Jesus took His closest followers with Him, to encourage them to rest and replenish alongside Him (Mark 6:31; Luke 9:10). Rest and time alone with His Father enabled Jesus to avoid stress and burnout. 

It is our ego and ambition that convince us we can keep running on empty and survive on little rest or alone time with God in order to accomplish more and minister unendingly to others. Yet what makes us think we can operate more efficiently than God-in-the-flesh did while on this earth?  

Invest in your physical health—and the health of your relationships with God and others—by regularly taking a full day (or extended times monthly) to rest physically, mentally, and spiritually so your body can recharge, and your soul can replenish. 

4. Resting equates to obedience. 

God‘s call to rest is like a parent insisting their overly-tired child take a nap. The child doesn’t think he or she needs a nap. But clearly, the child doesn’t know better than the parent, and his attempts at reasoning are futile. It’s a fact that children need rest, and loving parents make sure their children have what they need. 

There’s a reason our Good Shepherd (who is also a good parent) “makes” His sheep lie down in green pastures (Psalm 23:2). Sometimes we, like children, resist the nap. We don’t want to rest. We think we don’t have time to rest. We consider rest overrated and underproductive. So, God sometimes has to make us rest by allowing a diagnosis, an injury, or an extended illness to get us off our feet and physically lie down and rest. Sometimes, He makes us rest through a job loss or a re-route of our plans, so we slow down, get back home, and start to consult God again, instead of rushing through work and life. Be willing to rest as a regular routine, so your Good Shepherd doesn’t have to make you rest through any number of situations. And realize that the time you give to Him in obedient rest, He will give back to you in greater productivity or less financial need.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Prostock-Studio 

5. Rest is necessary for us to discern God’s voice and direction.

When we are consumed with our activities and responsibilities on earth, we can tend to think of heaven far less than we should. Yet, when we get quiet, when we embrace His call to rest, we can turn our minds toward things above, not on the things of this earth (Colossians 3:2).  

Rest isn’t just for our bodies. It calms our minds and emotions and helps us gain clarity. It puts us back in touch with our souls and what matters most. If we love God, we’ll labor for Him. But how can we know what He wants us to do if we aren’t getting quiet enough to hear His voice and sense His specific call?  You and I must first sit before we can get up and serve. We must worship Him before we can work for Him. There’s a reason Psalm 46:10 tells us to “Be still and know that I am God.” Part of the knowing is being convinced He can work to change or improve our circumstances while we get still. Rest is required for our clarity so we can hear God’s voice in our hearts.

I’ve learned through the decades that God can accomplish far more while I am resting than I can while striving. There were three situations this past week alone that stressed me out because I felt I needed to steer the circumstances in a different direction. My flesh immediately wanted to fight. But God’s quiet instruction on my heart was Be still. Keep a quiet heart. Exodus 14:14 tells us, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (NIV). As I took my concerns to God in prayer and fully trusted Him to work, He confirmed once again that while I rest and trust in Him, He can work a situation far better than I could have. To rest is to trust. And when we trust (and rest), God works on our behalf. 

6. Embracing rest brings peace and joy to our lives. 

Busyness can lead to chaos. And it appears to be today’s badge of success. But God honors rest, surrender, and the “imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter 3:4). What God requires for your success is very contrary to what the world requires for success and notoriety. Which is most important for you to gain—God’s approval or the world’s? Embrace God’s call to rest as a way of making sure your striving is not toward the things that will lead to burnout, but toward the things of God.  

For more on embracing rest, see Cindi’s books, When You’re Running on Empty, and When Women Long for Rest.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/petrenkod 

Cindi McMenamin is a national speaker, Bible teacher, certified writing coach, and award-winning writer who helps women and couples strengthen their relationship with God and others. She is also a mother, a pastor’s wife who has been married 37 years, and the author of 19 books, including When Women Walk Alone (more than 160,000 copies sold), The New Loneliness: Nurturing Meaningful Connections When You Feel Isolated, and The New Loneliness Devotional: 50 Days to a Closer Connection with God. For more on her speaking ministry, coaching services for writers, and books to strengthen your soul, marriage, and parenting, see her website: www.StrengthForTheSoul.com.