God’s Rhythm to Bless Us (YouVersion,Daily Refresh, 1-03)

Humans have a complicated relationship with rules. Even as small children, we struggle to understand the “why” behind them. 

Consider how parents teach children to brush their teeth, reminding them morning and night. That child might only appreciate the chore years later, as they grow into adults and experience expensive and uncomfortable dental work. It’s then that a dull tooth-brushing routine feels valuable. What a shift in perspective! 

We weren’t made to serve a strict toothbrushing schedule, but toothbrushing was made to serve us to help maintain healthy teeth. 

Jesus brings similar wisdom and perspective to the expectation of taking a regular day of rest (Sabbath). The Jews knew that God was insistent on Sabbath observance, but they almost thought of it as if it were a chore. Jesus reminds them that people weren’t made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was created for people by God to provide much-needed rest. 

Sabbath rest is God’s rhythm to bless us, not God’s requirement to burden us.

How can we know this is true? Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. He’s the maker (and fulfiller) of all God’s good rules, and He knows that regular rest is one of the rhythms that leads to an abundant life.

My Thoughts

God set the standard and example for a Sabbath rest when He rested on the seventh day after creation. Many of us push ourselves to work, work, work, seven days a week. If we are not going to a job, we are still doing things that occupy our time and our minds. For me, after we attend church, I do rest. I sit in my recliner, watch a show that I have been meaning to take time to see, read a book and nap. The regular chores of book reviews and reading a certain number of pages per day is put aside as I rest. My husband, who is in charge of the cooking here at home, always makes enough on Saturday for leftovers on Sunday. Or, if that isn’t possible because of the planned meal, he buys takeout and has it ready for us to eat after church, along with a soup to warm up. Whatever it is, it is simple, easy to get ready, and allows him to spend the afternoon with the TV on football as he naps. We honor God by attending church and then we rest, just as God meant for us to do. The rest we have on Sunday prepares us for the busy week of appointments and meetings. This week, I start physical therapy and our Bible Study group begins again for the New Year. The busyness doesn’t seem so overwhelming if we take time to rest first. I encourage all who read this to take time to rest on the Sabbath. God wants us to establish a time for our bodies to refresh themselves, with Him as the center of our lives and of our resting time.