Finding rest in God is such a beautiful gift that we have been given. Yet it so often feels like a challenge and an area of spiritual discipline in which we are severely lacking.
What might it look like for us to intentionally carve out time to rest in God’s goodness and to come to relish this time of shabbat? How can we practically reorganize our lives and schedules to create intentional space for Sabbath? We all have different schedules and life circumstances, and it won’t look the same for everyone. Don’t let that hold you back!
Be creative. Start small. Seek alternate ways to sabbath yourself or as a family. Pray about finding a time and way to rest in the Lord’s presence. Appoint one meal a week for a family sabbath, an afternoon with your phone and devices turned OFF, a family devotional walk, a full day of ceasing from labor... God wants Sabbath to be a gift and a blessing, not a chore.
When the Pharisees criticized Jesus and his followers for picking grain to eat on the Sabbath, he responded, “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Jesus called himself “Lord of the Sabbath,” claiming that He is the fulfillment of shabbat rest and following him is more important than complying with legalistic rituals.
After all, Sabbath is designed to be a reminder that our work will ALWAYS be incomplete. We are not in control of our lives or our time – God alone is! Practicing sabbath is not a checklist item on our Christianity scale, it’s a way to live out our hope in the promise of an ultimate future rest. Carve out time and be intentional about creating opportunities to slow down and be reminded that God is the master and orchestrator of all. It probably won’t be easy, but God guarantees us that it is worth it.