Digital Sabbath: An invitation to rest and presence

Lauren Westwood considers how our digital habits can help or hinder our relationship with God and other people.

Summer has a way of capturing our attention. Holidays interrupt routine. Longer evenings stretch out and invite connection with friends. For me, this is the first summer in years that I have had a garden to simply sit in and let the hours pass. 

Perhaps that is why summer can be a good moment to do something many of us find surprisingly difficult: put down our smartphones. 

Technology is not inherently bad for our spiritual lives. Far from it. More than a billion devices have installed the YouVersion Bible app, meaning God’s word is carried into classrooms, hospitals, sports halls and commutes around the world. BibleProject’s videos on YouTube sit at more than 600 million views, opening Scripture for people who might never attend a Bible study or theology seminar. Others have engaged with Scripture in new ways through apps such as Lectio 365. 

Worship music fills kitchens and car journeys. Podcasts bring teaching into waiting rooms and morning commutes. Prayer apps help us remember the people we’ve committed to pray for and bring us closer to those we love. I used one every day when a friend was expecting her first child. 

Digital technology can be an extraordinary gift. But it is not our master. Adele Ahlberg Calhoun describes ‘unplugging’ as a spiritual discipline that seeks ‘to be fully present to and uninterrupted in my interactions with God and others’. 

The ability to unplug, or limit unhelpful noise from our phones, tablets or computers, matters. It is not simply about wellbeing or managing notifications, but about presence. Choosing this discipline can help us pursue a holy and attentive life, listening more carefully to the voice of God and the needs of others. 

This summer, we invite you to explore the practice of a digital Sabbath, inspired by the Hebrew shab.bat: to rest, cease or stop. 

The Sabbath is a gift made for us by God (see Mark 2:27). The practice of Sabbath remains a powerful reminder that we are not machines. We need rhythms that interrupt work, resist the pressure of constant production and help us find our rest in God. In a culture that often measures worth by achievement, Sabbath tells a more radical story: that we are loved not because of what we do, but because we belong to God. 

St Augustine famously wrote: ‘Thou hast formed us for thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in thee.’ Centuries later, those words ring true. Digital platforms can point us towards good things, but we will not find lasting rest in the endless scroll. Beyond the noise and the algorithms competing for our attention remains a deeper longing for the presence of God. 

By engaging in a digital Sabbath this summer, we hope rhythms of rest and perspective might create healthier boundaries and deeper connection with God and others. For some, that might mean a day of complete abstinence from screens. For others, it might involve tracking screen time, reviewing downloaded apps or finding a new digital tool to help in their discipleship, and noticing how it shapes their enjoyment of life. 

There are times when our devices enable and enhance our work, relationships and ministry. Yet the regular practice of stepping back from less helpful digital habits might help us hear God’s voice more clearly. Each swipe, click or scroll can become an opportunity to reflect the life we have been called to live by the Lord we have chosen to follow. 

For many of us, engaging with digital is neither rejection nor indulgence. It is the self-control to gratefully embrace the gifts of technology while retaining the freedom to set them down when a better thing requires our attention.