DAILY READING
REFLECTION
Rest, Relax, and Restore
by Judy Webb
"Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day." (Deuteronomy 5:15)
There was a time in my youth when you would have been hard pressed to find a grocery store open on Sunday. It was unheard of to go shopping for almost anything on Sunday. That day was set aside. It was a day for family, church, and rest. Almost no one except for emergency personnel, worked on Sunday.
Observing a Sabbath was an act of obedience to God. It was also about an act of trust in God. We are called to trust that His command to rest is perfect and just what we need. Observing the Sabbath when the world keeps turning is to Trust and Obey. When exhaustion, or worry, or burn-out seem to be my companion, it may be because I don’t know how to observe a Sabbath. Rest and refreshment go together with Trust and Obey.
What happened? Why is resting one day out of a week of seven days such a foreign concept now? What would happen to us if we went back to the way it was? Are we all workaholics? Somewhere along the way we got lost. Lost in our thinking and our actions. Because it is somehow now acceptable to ignore the concept of observing a Sabbath.
What does your week look like? Do you have one day set apart from the work of the week, for God and family? We often reminisce about the "good old days," perhaps keeping a Sabbath is part of those days we remember so fondly. So, remember to rest and to take the time to enjoy one another.
God commanded Israel not to work on the Sabbath, but to rest in remembrance of Creation and the Exodus. "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God." (Exodus 20:8-10)
Our world, our nation needs a Sabbath. We need a day we call pull away from the evil and snares of Satan and enter the comfort and peace by spending time with God and one another.
PRAYER
Dear Lord, Show us how to instill a Sabbath into our lives and how to truly enjoy that special rest. Give us a desire to break away from the work of our hands to experience the blessing of time spent with you weekly. Amen.
I was a slave too and he brought me out with a mighty hand. It is good for me to remember that regularly!