Soul Care Part 4: Sabbathনমুনা

Provision for Peace

The Exodus account of manna and quail is a beautiful and insightful illustration of our human tendency to play tug-of-war with God. We desire His provision and readily seek it out when things are beyond our control. But the moment we have it in our hands, we try to take charge again. We want to do things our way; we want to stock up on the "stuff" so that we won’t be in a position of need again. Deep down, we don’t want to have to rely on anyone, including God. Despite His ongoing faithfulness, we struggle to trust Him to provide what we need for today – and then do it again tomorrow. That’s precisely why He sent the manna each morning: to teach His people to trust Him.

But then He inserted this additional lesson of Sabbath.One day each week, they were to gather enough for two days so that one day each week they could rest and spend time with Him. He is willing and able to provide exactly what is needed for us to live exactly the way He intended.The Sabbath is an opportunity for us to trust His work and His ways more than our own.

It's interesting to note that the people needed to do a little planning and preparation prior to the Sabbath day – they had to work a little harder and gather what would be needed so that they wouldn’t be scrambling on the day of rest. And God made sure there was enough manna in supply that specific day to account for the preparation.

Ask Yourself:

-Why is it so challenging to trust God each day for that day?

-In what ways have you tried to provide for yourself? How do you think that wavering trust impacts your relationship with God?

-How does stopping all of your efforts to provide for yourself one day a week impact your faith?

Pause to Pray:

Oh God, forgive me for not fully trusting you in ________________.I surrender this to you today and choose to wait with hopeful expectation for your provision…

Take a Next Step:

Now that you have set aside your pre-conceived notions of Sabbath and determined a time in your week to faithfully rest, consider what changes you may need to make to the preceding day(s) in order to make this space and time possible. As God leads, take a planning or preparation step today.