Sabbath Lessons: Learning to Rest
For a long time, there was this tension in my life about rest, work and what Sabbath was really about.
The story of creation shows us that God set aside the seventh day for His own rest. Does God need to rest? No, but He thought it was something important.
“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.” (Genesis 2:2-3, English Standard Version)
God set apart the seventh day. He is the creator of all things so He determines how all things are used. If God has set the seventh day apart for His use, why do I think I should override what God planned?
A quick look through the Old Testament will give us examples as to what happens when we override God’s plan. Sarah and Abraham wanted to take things into their own hands instead of trusting in the Lord, Ismael was born. People didn’t obey...God flooded the Earth.
Do we need to worry that God will flood the earth if we aren’t resting on the sabbath? Not really. Could He do it? Sure...it’s all His anyway.
When I give my life to God and He sets me apart as a new creation, I’m His. To do with as He sees. He created me and gave me a new heart. Why would I want to not live my life in step with His purpose and plan?
Therefore, I’ve learned to appreciate the purposes He put in place. We need to rest our minds and bodies daily. He created us to need this refreshment. He even created the world to work in a cycle so that we weren’t constantly stimulated with sunlight. Plants need rest, too!
What happens when we step into His plan and allow for times of rest? We are refreshed. We are made new. What a gift that is! If we constantly depend on our own strength for everything, we will be burnt out really soon. If we learn that we must depend on Him, the burden is removed. We can then be refreshed more as we see God as fully sovereign and in control.
My life is better when I release burdens. My life is more peaceful when I depend on God for strength over myself. Yet, I still struggle. Praying that today and every day we learn to rest in the peace God gives.
