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When life becomes too much to handle, something has to give. Typically, that “something” is our health, our relationships, or our sanity. If the gas pedal of your life has been mashed to the floor for too long, if you never apply the brake, a crash is most certainly going to happen down the road.
God never intended us to keep running without breaks. In Genesis 2:2-3, God himself decided to rest:
“And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”
In Exodus 31:13-17, God decided people needed to be commanded to rest, because our natural tendency is to always be doing something:
“You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a siagn between me and you throught your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath shall be put to death. Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.”
When to Sabbath
Many people have tried to make the Sabbath into a ritual, another tradition that would be loved by modern day Pharasees but hated by Jesus. The day of the week doesn’t matter. The Sabbath isn’t to be held legalistically. Jesus said in Mark 2:27, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” It is God’s green light for us to take a break, to relax and reflect.
Some people are lazy and love the idea of taking yet another day off. Understand that God says to work six days, then take a day off. It’s only after you put your time in trenches, slugging it out at work, at home, in service to the Kingdom, that we are given permission to take a break.
Others of you may be a little more Type-A. You have a hard time applying the brakes in life. A Sabbath is a chance for you to take a deep breath, to enjoy life without having to worry about working on life. It is God’s gift to you. Take advantage of it!
What to do when you Sabbath
Again, don’t make it legalistic. The intent of the Sabbath is rest–physical, mental, and emotional. It’s a chance for you to recharge your battery in preparation for another week slugging it out in the trenches. The best way to achieve this is through silence and solitude.
Silence & Solitude
I particularly enjoy this change of pace. I’m a real tech-geek and enjoy the internet, laptops, mobile devices, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc. The silence and solitude of the Sabbath is a chance for me to disconnect for a few hours. I can relax, pray, read, observe, and whatever I think I need to do to just listen to God speak to my soul. It’s always in the silence that I can hear God speak to my heart about the things that bother me the most during the week. It’s a chance for me to re-prioritize things in life; an opportunity to rise above the trees in the forest for a few moments to regain perspective. Every time, I’ve been able to begin the week, refreshed and joyful.
The greatest example of silence and solitude was modeled by Jesus several times during his ministry:
“. . . the report about him [Jesus] went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.” –Luke 5:15-16
If God the Father and Jesus the Son thought it was necessary, then what about you and me?
