“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy...a Sabbath to the LORD.” – Exodus 20:8-10
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room ad shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray then like this: Our Father…” – Matthew 6:5-9
The Sabbath day is a special day or moment that is different…distinct from other days or moments. It is “Holy to the LORD” so it is set aside…separate…special. That is what it means when something is holy in the Scripture. It is not that the particular bowl or cup or day is somehow more valuable itself. That item or time or prayer is holy because it is set apart for ONLY one purpose and that purpose alone. In the case of the Sabbath, it is “Holy unto the LORD”.
So, to be clear, we are called to take rest or Sabbath in our lives on a regular basis. It is the way we are created. It restores us. But, we also must understand that we need to set aside regular times that are “holy to the LORD”. In other words, time that is set aside for God alone. The Sabbath principle is not “me time” it is “God time”. It is time that is holy to the LORD. Rest is good. “Me time” to relax and decompress is necessary, but there needs to be time for you and your heavenly Father…one on one.
Jesus even used this principle when it came to prayer. We should pray always. We should pray for others and with others, but then there is special times of prayer…holy to the LORD. These are times that Jesus says we go into our closet and shut the door and pray…in secret…just you and God.
Have you done that lately? Have you had a moment lately that was holy, set apart for God alone? You go into the quiet room and you shut the door and it becomes a holy moment…a holy conversation…just between you and your Master. When Jesus describes this kind of prayer He is describing a holy moment. The place becomes holy. The time becomes holy. The words become holy. Everything is focused only on the Lord. It is different…deeper…more personal…holy.
Today for your Sabbath, I would suggest that you set aside a time and a place and make it holy to the Lord. It doesn’t have to be long. It doesn’t have to be eloquent. It simply needs to be His and His alone. Go in…shut the door…and have a holy moment with your Savior.