Lent Devotional: RestoreSample

Restore: Sabbath

God built rest into the very rhythm of creation. He even rested himself on the seventh day. God didn’t need to rest – he doesn’t get tired or stressed – yet he decided to anyway. I wonder if he did this to demonstrate the importance of having periods of rest in our own lives.

How often do we treat Sunday afternoon, after church, as hallowed or sacred? Or is it just another time for shopping and social media and the general busyness of life? Sometimes it can feel as though the importance of the Sabbath has diminished.

That’s not to say we need to get legalistic about it. Jesus himself flouted the law when he healed people on the Sabbath. But he never said that he was abolishing the Sabbath – just that compassion is always the higher law. In fact, Jesus declared himself “Lord of the Sabbath” – Christ is the King of Rest!

Lord Jesus,
Thank you that you are Lord of the Sabbath.
We confess to you our failure to keep the Sabbath holy,
And we are sorry for letting the busyness of the world
Distract us from the beauty of your truth.
Help us Lord to build more rest into our lives,
To embrace slowness and stillness when we can
So that our bodies and spirits can be refreshed.
In your precious name,
Amen.

Gideon Heugh, Tearfund