“By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done.” (Genesis 2:2, 3)
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” (Exodus 20:8)
“He went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day He went into the synagogue, as was His custom.” (Luke 4:16)
The Hebrew word “Sabbath” literally means rest. From the very beginning God put in place a pattern of life that included rest. A day off. A day to reflect on the other six days and remember the God who created them and created us. God knew that if we worked all the time without stopping we would forget who we were and whose we were. This design is not only to give us a break from the other six days but, more importantly, remind us of where the other six days came from.
It is important to have the break as well. It is vital to our spiritual and physical health to program into our lives rest. Even during the season of lent when we are meditating on the sacrifice of Jesus we still need rest. The early church knew that when they first began to observe this season. That’s why the 40 days of sacrifice are broken up by the 6 days of rest.
Today, we come to our third Sabbath (rest) on our journey. Our thoughts for the last six days have been focused on the sufferings of our Lord and, for me, it can be exhausting. Maybe you have gotten tired as you wrestled with the angst of the passion of our Savior. Well, today you should rest in the glories of the Father!
Read Psalm 66 today and meditate on what God has done for you. Think of a time when you were tired or lonely or sick and God brought you comfort. Think of a time when God gave you the strength to get through a tough time. Maybe this week has been one of those times. If so, come to God today and experience a Sabbath rest. Put yourself in His arms and allow Him to restore you.
Today…take a deep breath…relax…and allow God to refresh you!