It’s quite easy to fill our time with the things that demand our attention while God waits quietly for us to remember Him.
To some, this feels impossible. And yet, it’s still commanded. I’ve heard it said that this is an Old Testament law, and God doesn’t still hold us to it. It’s quite easy to fill our time with the things that demand our attention while God waits quietly for us to remember Him.
It’s easy for us to be too busy to take a down day. So we compensate with an hour here, three hours there. Bargaining with the Lord. When has that ever worked?
The Sabbath – a full day of rest according to Exodus 20 – is for man, not for God. I think that truth sometimes makes us forget that it’s still a command. All of God’s commands are for us, yet somehow we abuse this one. We understand “Thou shall not murder,” but we argue with “Thou shall take a day off.” Make it make sense.
Bargaining with the Lord. When has that ever worked?
Let’s talk about this idea that the Sabbath is for us. In the account of creation, God rested on the seventh day, not because He was tired, but because He knew we would be. We are made in His image, but there are still characteristics of God that we do not possess. Those characteristics are for Him and Him alone. Things like omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence. And of course, omni-energetic.
Might have made that last one up.
But the point is, He never sleeps. Never slumbers. Doesn’t have to. Me on the other hand? Can’t wait to crawl into bed tonight. Because there is an end to my energy. But how sweet that when we come to the end of ourselves, we meet the Lord.
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
We understand “Thou shall not murder,” but we argue with “Thou shall take a day off.” Make it make sense.
Don’t just take a break. Take a break from life to commune with Eternity. When God commanded the Sabbath, He did so because He knows exactly what we need; He made us, afterall. God knows what we so often forget: We don’t just need sleep; We need HIM.
So why is it that we so easily and mindlessly ignore the command to take a Sabbath day?
Likely because we are confronted with busyness every day. From family obligations to work commitments to volunteer roles… also, don’t forget to take care of your health. Meal prep…which means grocery shop… get out in nature… get your workouts in.
When is it all supposed to get done? And now you want me to stop all of that for a whole day, Lord? This law is antiquated – you can’t still demand this of me in today’s world.
I’d argue that it’s even more important now. Yes, times have changed. But God has not.
Is it possible that at the root of all of our busyness is the fact that we don’t trust God enough to rest?
So why is it that we so easily and mindlessly ignore the command to take a Sabbath day?
Taking time off in the middle of the work to focus on the Lord, be filled with His presence, listen for His voice… that can only improve our ability to work well in the remaining days of the week. Like when you board an airplane and during the safety spiel, they tell you to put on your own oxygen mask before helping anyone else. You’re completely ineffective if you can’t breathe.
We are completely ineffective if we detach from God. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
Trust that God can do more in one day of rest than you can in 7 days of work. We get so consumed with accomplishing the tasks we see and pleasing the people around us that it is hard to imagine being more efficient in less time. Kingdom math never really adds up in our worldly brains.
The ultimate sign of trust in God – the ultimate evidence of His Lordship in our lives – is our obedience to His commands. If we wait for it to make sense to us, we will never take action. Better to trust and obey.
Is it possible that at the root of all of our busyness is the fact that we don’t trust God enough to rest?
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