I must admit…at first, I just didn’t get it. As a kid, I thought that the Sabbath was just a restricted day that meant that there were a lot of things that I couldn’t do. After all, all I wanted to do was continue playing and having fun. However, whenever Sabbath came on sunset Friday, I had to turn off secular TV shows and discontinue secular activities until it ended on sunset Saturday. (Biblically speaking, the evening and the morning is a day. See Gen. 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31)
However, I have since learned that the Sabbath is one of the best gifts that God has given me aside from salvation. In fact, it is a weekly blessing that I appreciate more and more this side of heaven. Mark 2:27 says, “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.” I have also learned that I am able to enjoy various activities that I rarely can make time for or even think about during the regular work week. The Sabbath is truly a blessing!
“Every GOOD gift and every PERFECT gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17
The Sabbath is a time to disconnect from the working world and day-to-day responsibilities, as we know it, and focus on the Creator. We fellowship with and help others. It is during this time that we encourage one another. We share God’s love with those who are lost or hurting. We also feed the homeless and those who are in prison. We connect with humanity on a level that we are, unfortunately, usually too busy to even think about. It’s a beautiful thing, because it is a time to nurture relationships and connect with one another in a world that is otherwise too driven and fast-paced. Oddly enough, when I take time to reflect, give back, help, and encourage others I am energized and my empty tanks are refueled and replenished.
The Sabbath is a time to slow down….hit the PAUSE button…BREATHE…and remember WHO we are, WHOSE we are, and WHY we are here. It’s a quiet time of reflection. Sometimes we are so busy working and dealing with everything that’s thrown our way that we rarely can even hear ourselves think. There’s just so much noise around us. Sometimes, we don’t even have time to think or we’re not in an environment that is conducive to thinking. When I hit that God given PAUSE button though, it seems like thoughts and ideas are released in the process…as if they were just sitting there waiting for an opportunity to be heard. As I mentioned in my previous post, rest is SO necessary for a multitude of reasons. In fact, when we are too tired to think, our productivity grinds to a screeching halt or, at best, it is not nearly reaching its full potential.
The Sabbath is a time to reconnect with my family. Even though we live in the same house, most of the time we are so busy running around taking care of business that we rarely have time to just relax, talk, and spend unhurried time together. Sometimes, we volunteer to do community service activities together. We also call loved ones to see how they are doing.
If it weren’t for Sabbath rest, I would never really stop to enjoy nature. It’s enjoyable just to watch the squirrels scamper around a tree or to take a stroll and admire the pretty flowers. Visiting a quiet lake or a waterfall is a wonderful bonus. Enjoying God’s creation is one of the things I love to do most on the Sabbath.
During the Sabbath hours, we worship the Lord our CREATOR. After all, we should NEVER forget where we came from. The weekly Sabbath consistently points to, reminds you of, and connects you with the Creator God.
We count our blessings and we lay our cares and burdens at the feet of Jesus. We pour our hearts out to the Lord and recognize that He is our help. He is our hope. He is our strength. All praise belongs to Him and He alone is worthy to be praised. We look back at what the Lord has brought us through and we are able to hear more clearly what he is asking us to do now.
If it weren’t for Sabbath rest, I KNOW I would be stuck in an unhealthy cycle of work…work…and more work! It seems that there’s just TOO much to do and not enough time to do it. The Sabbath is God’s loving gift that he hands me each week along with the tender words, “Daughter, that’s enough. I want you to get a breather now…put that down and rest awhile. Let’s spend some quiet time together. You need a break.”
According to the Word of God, the Sabbath was established on the 7th day of the very first week of the world’s existence, Creation week. Obviously, this was before any nation, creed, tribe, or denomination of any kind was established.
In addition, the God of heaven Himself demonstrated how the Sabbath is to provide rest for us after he created the world at the beginning of time. It was truly the first work week.
”And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.” Genesis 2:2-3
If God Himself established and observed the Sabbath after working hard all creation week, (and he never gets tired) I’m certain I need the Sabbath in my life.
The Sabbath is truly special and I am so grateful for it. With Sabbath rest, I am able to look back and see things that I missed in the hustle and bustle of life and then make the necessary adjustments for the week ahead. I am able to think with more clarity about my work, simply because I have spent time away from it. God always knows what’s best for us and he knows that we need our Sabbath rest. Each week, the Sabbath points us back to him as Creator. Then, he meets our needs and gives us the answers and strength that we need to begin a new week. Thank you, Abba Father, for the gift of a weekly Sabbath!
