There was a season when my sons were involved in theater. Opening night was always so exciting! All the months of practice finally culminated into this beautiful masterpiece. The thing that always threw me off a little, however, was intermission. The cadence of the storyline built up gradually & then suddenly, at a cliff hanger moment, the house lights would pierce the darkness of the theater.
It always felt a little jarring & my brain would take a bit to slowly withdraw from the storyline to focus on the people mingling & munching on goodies from concessions.
That visual came to mind this morning as I read about God’s command to keep the Sabbath. The root word for Sabbath means to cease, desist & rest. It also means, “intermission.”
God doesn’t just command us to keep the Sabbath, He warns us to be careful to keep this “intermission” in our work week. We are given 6 (not 5) days a week to work on career & home stuff, but then we are called to turn on the house lights & disengage from all the drama that is unfolding before us. Why? 👉🏽To remember.
Setting aside unplanned time is part of God’s plan! Remembering what He’s done for us keeps us humble. Remembering that He is Lord, guards us from pride & keeps us close to wisdom. In fact, this set aside day is SO important that God declares, “This is a covenant obligation for ALL time.”
I can’t say that I’ve been faithful to keep this command. Y’all this is SO important to our health, wholeness & HOLINESS that God even modeled it for us! He created the heavens & earth in 6 days, but on the 7th, “He stopped working & was refreshed.”
Are you feeling worn out & weary? When’s the last time you took 24 to disengage from the hustle & bustle of life, & “do” only what brings rest & refreshment?
Father, You created me to be a get-it-done-girl. Stopping for the Sabbath can be hard & sometimes feels frivolous. I’m tired today & realize that rest has not been a priority. Help us to remember Your command so moments of refreshing may come. May we choose to prioritize this important intermission to our work week so the light of your Presence pierces the darkness, reminding us that You are Lord & Peace so that we CAN rest!
EXODUS 30:11-31:18
MATTHEW 26:47-68
PSALM 32:1-11
PROVERBS 8:27-32
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