Day 11 | Rest – Shawna

According to AI, “A shepherd makes sheep lie down in green pastures primarily to ensure their safety, health, and rest, as sheep are prone to anxiety and exhaustion and often will not rest on their own. This act, famously mentioned in Psalm 23, is rooted in the practical care of animals that are easily frightened and stubborn.”

We are the sheep. God is the shepherd. Do you resonate at all with being “...prone to anxiety and exhaustion and often will not rest on their own”? We work and worry ourselves to physical and mental exhaustion. Why? Because we don’t fully rely on God, our provider. Because we don’t follow the lead of the Good Shepherd who tells us to rest.

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. For six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male slave or your female slave, or your cattle, or your resident who stays with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; for that reason the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. – Exodus 20; 8-11

Of the 10 Commandments, this one gets the most detail and background, perhaps because God knew we would try to blow it off! Don’t kill, steal, or commit adultery, sure, I get that, but why does God care about rest?

Rest is God’s gift to us. Jesus came that we

…may have life, and have it to the full. – John 10:10

Part of an abundant life is resting well and celebrating often. We keep the Sabbath not just by going to church. It isn’t about a bunch of rules or being bored all day. Sabbath is time to rest with our Creator, to be refreshed and refueled, so that everything we do the rest of the week can flow out of that connection to God, fueled by the Holy Spirit.

Many will often quote Jesus saying:

The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. – Mark 2:27

I believe we use this as an excuse not to learn the discipline of Sabbath because it’s countercultural and uncomfortable at first. However, if you’ve ever talked to someone who does Sabbath well, they LOVE it. They look forward to it and say it is the best day of the week! Sabbath rest is not about rules, it’s about love. Our Father and Shepherd loves us enough to know we need rest, so He asks us to pause and remember Him.

Jesus even modeled this for us. He taught crowds and healed many, yet

 Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. – Luke 5:16

Jesus knew the importance of rest and connection to His Father.

Sheep must be forced to rest so they can grow. If they keep moving all the time they can’t properly digest their food and expend too many calories to grow and be nourished. If we keep rushing through our lives, when do we give the Spirit the opportunity to help us grow? How are we being fed spiritually, allowing ourselves time to digest and process, so that can result in growth?

God has given us the gift of rest. Why do we ignore Him? We often rush past and ignore the call to rest until we get sick or injured and are forced to slow down. If we truly rely on God to lead and direct, we will trust that His command to remember the Sabbath and set aside one day a week to rest is good and in our best interest.

REFLECT

How well do I rest? When I rest do I allow the phone, the TV, or other things to fill the silence, or do I allow space for God to enter and fill the silence?

What would it look like to remember the Sabbath weekly in such a way that you look forward to it every week?

Be still and take a few deep breaths. Ask God to teach you how to slow down and rest.

PRAYER

Jesus, thank you for modeling rest. If you needed to get away to lonely places to talk to the Father, be refreshed and restored, then so do I. Please teach me to rest. Father, forgive me for not honoring your Sabbath. Forgive me for relying on my own productivity or thinking my work is more important than your command. Help me to trust that you truly know what is best for me. Help me to learn to rest with you and to delight in your presence.

TAKE ACTION TODAY

Put the Sabbath into practice in your life this week. Ideally, it would be 24 hours. If that sounds too daunting, pick something that sounds doable to you. Commit that time to rest and celebrate the Lord. We encourage you to turn off all technology. Go for a walk or be out in nature, spend time with those you love. Rest, do things you enjoy, and be aware of the Holy Spirit in you and with you.