Fatigue. I felt it in my heart. But why?
Perhaps it’s the news at night. None of it is good. There are wars and rumors of wars. The political stories weary me. And the reporting itself is, well, less than. I’m tired of trying to decipher the nonsense the anchors and reporters spout.
“There was much surf fearing…er sorry, suffering.”
Yeah, I’m pretty sure those suffering people are scared to death of surfing!!
Inept reporting. Biased reporting. Yes, I miss Walter Cronkite. I miss real investigative reporting. I know, I know. Those are tell-tale signs of my age. Oh well.
And then there’s social media. Doggone it, Facebook just isn’t fun anymore. I like to share things I find amusing or interesting. But others don’t particularly like the things I like, and they certainly let me know.
There is fatigue in my soul from fighting (mentally) with the world. I need rest. That’s when I saw it. Meandering through Exodus, in between the drudgery of slavery and deliverance of the promised land is the delight of the sabbath.
He said to them, “This is what the LORD commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’ ” Exodus 16:23
Sabbath: what is it?
A Sabbath rest sounds so lovely about now, doesn’t it? But what is it? In the Hebrew, it literally means REST (H7677šabbāṯôn). It’s a time to rest, generally a day of rest.
Sabbath is also a command: It’s #4, actually.1 Why do you suppose God had to command His people to rest?Think about it: for over 400 years the Israelites were slaves to their Egyptian task masters, making bricks of straw. Day in and day out they labored rigorously. Scripture tell us their lives were made bitter with hard labor.2
When God took them into the wilderness, He had to teach them how to be free in Him. He had to get rid of their slave mentality so they could become the holy people they were meant to be. And He had to teach them to rest. They needed rest. But first they needed to learn how to rest!
Let’s be honest and ask ourselves: Do we need to be taught how to rest?
Sabbath as a gift
The Sabbath is also a gift3 from God. What do you do with a gift? Unwrap it! You delight in it. Let’s unwrap this gift:
“Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27 NASB
Jesus said it! Sabbath rest was instituted BY God FOR mankind’s benefit and refreshment. It was not meant to be a burden for keeping a long list of regulations.
Why do we need rest?
Plain and simple: we slave hard all day in our writing, in our ministries, in our homes. We work mentally, physically and emotionally. We need rest.
What does rest look like for us today? It depends. What will delight and replenish you?
Sometimes for me, it means going outside and digging in my flower beds, even though it’s 150 million degrees and 1,000% humidity! And (for me) it definitely means low to no technology.
How can Sabbath rest help provide delight?
- It honors our bodies need for rest
- Provides spiritual replenishment
- We stop work in order to rest. When we rest, God provides (Manna).
How do we get this gift?
So, how do we get this gift? When we come to Jesus, He gives it to us.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] “ Matthew 11:28 AMP
Jesus will give us rest, we need only to come to Him. He is Jehovah Jireh, our provider. Jesus will provide whatever we need when we trust Him enough to stop and rest.
Are you soul weary? Have you considered planning a day of Sabbath rest for your spiritual health?
Grace be with you,
Ellen
1 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Ex 20:8 (NASB)
2 Ex 1:11 So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor.;
Ex 1:13 The Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorously.;
Ex 1:14 and they made their lives bitter with hard labor.
3 They must realize that the Sabbath is the LORD’s gift to you. That is why he gives you a two-day supply on the sixth day, so there will be enough for two days…Ex 16:29 NLT
