Enter Rest

I set aside yesterday as a sabbath. Monday is a funny day to choose as a sabbath, I know. Despite my attempt to clear my schedule of everything, there were some inevitable tasks that had to get done. When my wife asks me if I have cleaned the shower yet, it's hard to say, "no, sorry hun, it's my sabbath today" as she's running out the door to work for us.

As it turned out, the content of my "sabbath" was not very different from any other Monday. Then what is a sabbath? It is a day in which the intentions of my heart are to rest in God, to listen to God, to celebrate God, to enjoy God. On a sabbath, I open my day to the Holy Spirit and say, "Here are some things I was thinking about doing, but it doesn't really matter what we do. I really just want to be with you. What next, God?" So I began with prayer* and then did everything else with the intent of
enjoying God.

I was encouraged, equipped, reassured, refreshed, and revitalized. I remembered how much God loves me and desires to be with me. I remembered how good it is to be with my Creator. In the end, I don't think I had to take a special day off to have a sabbath, although I'm glad I did. I can enter into God's rest every day. If I am listening, no matter what the circumstance (working, playing, chores, meeting, talking, laughing, crying), God is telling me I am his beloved and that changes everything.

"One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way. Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?” And they had nothing to say." Luke 14:1-6

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31

"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience." Hebrews 4:9-11

*Sometimes it's hard to just "pray". So I picked some things I wanted to pray through and fit them into the Lord's prayer. For example, if I wanted to pray for our neighborhood, it would go something like, "Father, Includer, Savior, Redeemer, Revealer, your kingdom come and your will be done in my neighborhood as it is in heaven. Give me words to say and give our neighborhood a revelation of your presence today. Give me the courage to be present with our neighbors and patient ears to listen for where you are at work already. Forgive me for not being fully present. Forgive me for withholding goodness. Lead me to people who are ready for your love, who are ready to see you, and lead me away from easy answers and quick fixes. Protect me from the plans of the evil one and protect our neighborhood in your grace. Amen." The simple Lord's prayer can be used as a guide to pray through just about anything.