Exodus 20:8-10a (NKJV)
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work:…”
I have a confession to make. I am tired. There are probably several reasons for that. Physical, emotional, or spiritual tiredness can take a toll if we don’t stop and rest. Have you been there? Are you there now?
If we search in scripture for the word “rest” we find it in many scenarios. Sickness, attacks of the enemy, weariness in working or doing good, all of these can be areas where we simply get worn out. There is no way we can make it through life without getting tired, but I think there is a way we can minimize it.
God knew we would get tired so He told us how to manage it. He said to work six days but that seventh day we should not work but it should be set apart to Him. Personally, this is where I sometimes fall short and I’ve discovered that when I don’t turn things off … the television, heavy electronic use, noise, going and going and going … I tend to get more weary.
Keeping the Sabbath has long been considered an “old covenant law”. We don’t need to obey that. The new covenant erases all of those old rules – right? What if God’s rules for the Jewish people were not simply to establish an arbitrary law. What if His laws were established for their good? I believe that is true. My childhood pastor used to say that God doesn’t tell us not to do something because He wants to keep us from something good. God establishes rules to protect us and to preserve good things for us. So in this instance, I believe our path to be able to maintain the level of effort needed through the days ahead is to set apart at least one day for the Lord every week. How I interpret “setting apart” may not be how you interpret it but I believe, if we will do what God places in our hearts as setting it apart to Him, that God will honor it and will honor our efforts on all the other days we work.
This may not appeal to you at all. You may think I am off base. But I can’t help but think maybe the Lord knew what He was doing when He established the practice of the Sabbath, especially since He practiced it Himself in Genesis. I will be making an effort to practice this and test it out. Will you do this as well? What if this is part of God’s plan for us to excel in strength during the days ahead? I can’t help but think this is true. I expect weariness to decline and our spirits to be strengthened simply because we are following a pattern God established long ago… the pattern of rest.
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