Wednesday January 17, 2024

Today is Wednesday, January 17 and we are studying what scripture says about Sabbath rest.

As I begin this time of prayer, I quiet my mind, slow my breathing and focus on the God who loves me. As a new year begins I seek to learn how God wants to bless me and my faith family through the practice of Sabbath.

Pause and Pray

Holy and loving God, you created me and know what is best for me – body, mind and soul. Teach me the secret of contentment and what it means to be satisfied with the goodness you provide. Help me practice the rhythm of life you designed and find weekly Sabbath rest in your love. Amen.

I rejoice in God’s goodness and praise him with the words of Psalm 103.

Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:2-5

Pause and Pray

The story of Exodus is one of God delivering his people from an oppressive situation. The story is an integral part of the Judeo-Christian faith narrative. God’s people had become slaves in Egypt and the Egyptians were cruel taskmasters. The Hebrew slaves labored by making bricks and building pyramids and other structures for Pharaoh. They were provided straw which they mixed with mud to form bricks. Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh with a demand – let the people go for three days to worship God in the wilderness. It was a small request and would have provided good will if the king granted the request. He refused. Slaves don’t get a day off.

But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!” Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.” That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.” Exodus 5:4-9

In the Exodus story, Pharaoh was a cruel tyrant. No matter how hard the Hebrew slaves worked, no matter how many hours they put in or bricks they produced, it was never enough. They lived under the oppressive yoke of a daily quota – more, more, more. Slaves don’t get a Sabbath. Slaves are subhuman, a commodity to buy and sell. They work all day every day. Pharaoh pushed the slaves to work more. Pharaoh and Egypt are alive and well today. What pushes me to work more? What pushes me to want more, desire more? Do I feel the need to work more hours, make more money, obtain the perfect grade, the perfect body, the perfect home?

Ask: Who or what are my hidden “pharaohs”? Where is the source of my discontentment – the impression that I don’t have “enough”?

Pause and Pray

Holy God, help me identify the sources of resistance that prevent me from resting from my labor and honoring the Sabbath. Reveal the voices of the surrounding culture and the voices in my own mind that cause me a continued lack of contentment. Bring me in touch with unmet needs and unfulfilled desires that cause me to continually strive for more. Show me the path to Sabbath rest, peace and fulfillment found in you. I read the words from Exodus again and listen for the message you have for me.

But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!” Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.” That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.” Exodus 5:4-9

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

Work is a good thing. Six days of labor is enough. A day of rest is a way of saying, “I have enough.” God has blessed me with what I need. I can stop my striving, calm my desires, and quiet my cravings for more accomplishments and accumulation. For twenty four hours at the start of my week I am reminded to count my blessings and revel in the reality of “enough.” I have enough. I have accomplished enough. I am enough. Sabbath is an act of resistance against the pharaohs of our current culture. I am free. I am in a new kingdom with a new king and I have all I need to thrive.

Pause and Pray

Jesus, you are Lord of the Sabbath. Teach me what it means to keep the Sabbath and resist the oppressive demands of the surrounding culture. Reveal the peace you have for me, the contentment of a satisfied soul, and the joy of knowing I am “enough.” You provide exactly what I need most. Amen.

There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” Ecclesiastes 4:8

I leave this time of prayer set free for the life God has for me. I go to love and serve him in all that I do.

Amen