Thursday January 11, 2024

Today is Thursday, January 11 and we are learning what the Bible says about Sabbath.

As I begin this time of prayer, I quiet my mind, slow my breathing and focus on God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As a new year begins I seek to learn how God wants to bless me through the practice of Sabbath.

Pause and Pray

Holy and loving God, you created me and you know what is best for me. Teach me how to stop my busyness, rest in your love and delight in your presence. I want to live the rhythm of life you designed for me. Amen.

I rejoice in God’s kindness and loving care. I praise him with the words of Psalm 91.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1-2

Pause and Pray

There is a God-given rhythm to life, a balance between work and rest. When people allow themselves to get out of balance it leads to stress, illness, anxiety, depression, health problems, emotional problems, under performance, strained relationships, short tempers and negativity. People become tired, weary and are unaware of their own spiritual exhaustion. When I am tired, I am more prone to sin. When I am stressed I might react poorly to friends and loved ones. I may become irritable and impatient. God built in an answer – it is called Sabbath.

If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 58:13-14

God created the world in six days and then on the seventh day he stopped and rested. On that day of rest he built a rhythm into the fabric of Creation. There is a rhythm to our world. In the movement of the sun and moon, there is day and night, waking and sleeping. There is active growth in the seasons of spring and summer, and beneficial dormancy in the seasons of fall and winter. There is a rhythm to the tides, a conversation between land and sea, like breathing. A coming in and a going out. There is a rhythm to our bodies. Our blood pulses with every heartbeat. We inhale and exhale with every breath.

Ask: How does my current lifestyle honor the rhythms of God’s created world? How does it neglect those rhythms?

Pause and Pray

Holy and loving Lord, forgive me for neglecting the Sabbath rest you offer. I confess I generally do as I please on your holy day. I want to find delight and honor in the observance of Sabbath and enjoy the rest and renewal that you know is best for me. Help me find new joy in my life by adapting a practice of weekly time away with you and my loved ones. A time to stop and rest.
I read the words from Isaiah again and listen for the message you have for me.

If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 58:13-14

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

I can begin to practice God’s gift of Sabbath by choosing a day and a time. I could observe Sabbath on Sunday, the day of worship, which is traditional for Christians. I could observe Sabbath from sundown on Friday night until the same time on Saturday, which is traditional for Jews. I could choose a midweek or Friday Sabbath if I am required to work on the weekends. If an entire day is too much, I can start with a three-four hour time period and adjust from there. It is important to get into a rhythm with Sabbath on the same day each week. My body will memorize the day, anticipate and look forward to it. I will live off the energy and joy of a time of rest for days to come.

Pause and Pray

Holy and Loving Lord God, open my mind to the idea of Sabbath. Give me your vision of how you want me to keep the Sabbath and how you want to bless me and my family with a weekly time of rest and renewal. Remove the obstacles and barriers that a frantic society imposes and let nothing prevent me from honoring your Sabbath command. Amen.

Blessed are all those who are careful to do this. Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest and keep themselves from doing wrong. Isaiah 56:2 (NLT)

I leave this time of prayer with the blessing of the God who loves me, I go to love and serve others in his name.

Amen