A WORD FOR TODAY, February 20, 2026
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, February 20, 2026
“Let’s fear therefore, lest perhaps anyone of you should seem to have come short of a promise of entering into his rest. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, even as they also did, but the word they heard didn’t profit them, because it wasn’t mixed with faith by those who heard. For we who have believed do enter into that rest, even as he has said, ‘As I swore in my wrath, they will not enter into my rest;’ although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has said this somewhere about the seventh day, ‘God rested on the seventh day from all his works;’ and in this place again, ‘They will not enter into my rest.’ Seeing therefore it remains that some should enter into it, and they to whom the good news was preached before failed to enter in because of disobedience, he again defines a certain day, today, saying through David so long a time afterward (just as has been said), ‘Today if you will hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.’ For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day. There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For he who has entered into his rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. Let’s therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:1-11, WEB
This might seem odd, but sometimes I wonder how much I could get done if I were sick enough to be forced into bed rest. After all, if I didn’t have to do housework or grocery shopping, I should have plenty of time to focus on writing. I wonder, but then I get sick and realize that I can’t get anything done because I’m stuck in bed. I learned this lesson a few years ago. I got food poisoning and was unable to accomplish much of anything for twenty-four hours. I slept for most of that time, unable to focus or even stay upright for more than a few minutes. I’ve had bouts of the flu and other dis-ease that left me incapacitated for periods of time.
We will get sick. Our flesh is weak. Even the healthiest people can breathe in a virus that will lay them up for a time. Healthy bodies tend to overcome illness more quickly, but we are all susceptible. The key is to let our bodies rest so that we can overcome. Instead of using that time to do work we never get around to doing when we are healthy, we need to rest. Sometimes illness is simply our body’s way of making us slow down, or even stop, so that we do not destroy ourselves completely. I’ve known too many people who have worked too hard, avoiding sleep because there is too much to do. They burn out, not just in attitude, but in flesh. Real exhaustion comes when we push ourselves too far, and then we are no good to anyone. We get sick, and our ability to work suffers.
God understands this, which is why He has commanded His people to take a Sabbath, a day of rest. Even God took a Sabbath rest after He created everything, how can we expect to need less? If we work hard day after day, we need to stop for a moment, to rejuvenate our bodies and our spirits. The Sabbath does both, because it is not only a day for rest, but also a day for experiencing God’s Word in worship and study. If we take that day of rest, we might just find that our week is easier and our work is better.
Our bodies certainly do need rest, but the writer of Hebrews was talking about another kind of rest in today’s passage. The Israelites were saved from Egypt after so many years of slavery so that they might find peace and goodness in the Promised Land. Unfortunately, the people rebelled against God and He refused to give them the rest immediately. They had to wander in the wilderness until the last of their generation died, so that their offspring might receive the promise and find rest.
We learn, however, that entering the Promised Land is not the end of the promise. It isn’t about the land. It isn’t about the place. It is about resting in God’s grace. That was the promise all along, even from the foundation of the world. That’s the Gospel message. That is the rest that comes from faith. We can get as much sleep as we need. We can take Sunday off and spend time in worship and study. We can keep our bodies healthy and our spirits fresh, but we will never get real rest without faith in Christ Jesus. He is our true Sabbath. He is the fulfillment of the promise.
We can do much to keep ourselves healthy during our years on earth, taking time to properly rest, getting the right exercise, eating the right food, but no matter how well we take care of our bodies, we will get sick and all of us will eventually die. For those who have faith in Jesus, who have a relationship with the God of the Promise, we will die, but when we do, we will begin life anew in His presence for eternity. We build that relationship by keeping the Sabbath, taking time to worship Him, to know Him through His Word, and to experience His grace in the body of Jesus Christ. The more we grow in faith, the more we will rest in Him.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276.