Sabbath: Be still and discover the rest of God
As a young, newly commissioned pastor who was scheduled to preach 40 weeks a year, while raising a young family and simultaneously plugging away on my master’s degree at seminary, the practice of Sabbath rest sounded like a pipe dream. The incorporation of Sabbath seemed unattainable, something reserved for future me. Perhaps after my schooling was complete and my kids could finally sleep through the night, then and only then Sabbath might finally be attainable.
How could I stop working when there was so much to do? Sermons had to get written, church ministry never ceases, my kids need their dad, my wife needs her husband, and no one else could read my textbooks or write my assignments for me. Stopping to rest didn’t seem like an option.
This belief that I had to soldier on for a season without Sabbath was challenged when I met with a mentor.
In a similar season of life, he’d walked through all the responsibilities I carried plus a few extra. Yet he shared that the moment God challenged him to build his schedule around Sabbath, everything changed. He had more energy and capacity for his professional and personal responsibilities, and he did them with more joy. To top it off, everything required of him got done with time to spare.
Hearing about his experience encouraged and challenged me to evaluate how I was living and leading. From that conversation onward, I looked at what could be the right Sabbath rhythm for me, and I landed on protecting the time from Friday at 7 p.m. until Saturday at 7 p.m. For those 24 hours, I would not touch my sermon preparation (regardless of whether I was 10 per cent or 99 per cent complete) nor would I do schoolwork or tackle any non-emergency church tasks. That time was reserved for resting through prayer, play, and prioritizing my family.
Once I prioritized this Sabbath rhythm and basked in the rest God provided, an amazing thing happened: all my work got done, I felt more confident as I prepared to preach on Sunday, and I did everything with more joy!
“Sabbath is not the break we’re allotted at the tail end of completing all our tasks and chores, the fulfillment of all our obligations. It’s the rest we take smack-dab in the middle of them, without apology, without guilt, and for no better reason than God told us we could.” (Mark Buchanan, The Rest of God, p. 93)
We serve a gracious, compassionate God who knows our circumstances and responsibilities. He knows our capacity, but he also knows what we’re lacking and that he is the source of true fulfillment. Our body, mind, heart, and soul are renewed by him and in him, and I’ve found one of the best ways to let this beautiful truth sink in is to stop, pause, and be still. Whether that means a 10-minute pause or a 24-hour Sabbath, your Heavenly Father is ready and waiting to meet with you.
Our staff at Focus are reminded to do likewise with the aid of a mural in our lunchroom and I hope it will serve as a reminder for you to take time (Sabbath) to be still and know God. As you do, take a moment to read the following line from Psalm 46:10. Repeat the line and each time you do, drop one word, read it again, and reflect on the newness and meaning of what you’ve just read.
I hope and pray it leads you to a space where you can slow down and simply be with God and encounter the gift of rest in his presence.
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am
Be still and know that I
Be still and know that
Be still and know
Be still and
Be still
Be
Steve Klassen is Executive Director of Kerith Retreats at Focus on the Family Canada. For more information about our retreats, visit KerithRetreats.ca.