Sabbath Rest

Here lately I have been working more on Saturday than I probably should.  My work week has crept into my weekend which at first seems like no big deal until I find myself having to do some of my chores and errands on Sunday and not really finding the rest from my labors that my body, soul, and mind desperately needs. So as I enter Monday… I am not fully rested.  For most of us ladies, we stay so busy that our week just flies by. My weekly routine looks something like this: work 9 hours, school pick up, homework, dinner, workout, house chores, morning prep work for the next day. I rarely have time to read a book or watch TV. I am just too busy.  My busyness can lead to a short temper, and just an overwhelming sense that I am doing too much.  Which is a true thought… I am doing too much.  God created us to need Sabbath rest.  One day a week we are to rest from our labors.  I think it does a body good to fully rest even from daily chores for our Sabbath rest. In order to accomplish this, I might need to cut out some activities during the week and maybe even set aside more time on Saturday for rest.  God speaks consistently about rest in His word.  In Hebrews 4:9-11 it says:There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

In Mark 6:31, Jesus encourages his followers to rest.  I think he realizes that his workers can not be as effective for the Kingdom when they are weary.
“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them,“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
In Mark 2:27 it sounds like the disciples needed a reminder from their Father who know their bodies better than they ever could:
Jesus  says to them,
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
In Exodus 33:14 we see that God’s presence is what gives us that rest. So yes we set aside time to rest, but we also need His presence with us as he refreshes us in our Sabbath.
The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
So my prayer is that you use your day of rest to fully rest in the Father’s presence. I know I look forward to a new Monday that finds me rested and ready for the work God has designed especially for me.
Blessings,
Jessica

Author: Jessica Cox

Jessica teaches high school English and Creative Writing at Millennium High School in Goodyear, AZ. She is married and has a daughter in first grade. She has been attending VC since 2004.

7 thoughts on “Sabbath Rest”

  2. The part about God’s presence giving us rest stood out to me. I may feel agitated or unsettled & during worship feel God’s presence settle down on me or maybe speak to me & feel His peace & rest.

  5. I’ve found that as I obey him in a way that is counterintuitive with my logic (like tithing when I think I don’t have enough money to pay my bills or resting when I still have a long to-do list to accomplish), He always blesses me in a way that blows my mind away!

  6. Thank you Jessica. I hear your heart. I’m still learning to let go, and Rest and be RESTored, Trusting in God’s Sovereignty as I hand over the control of this fragile life to Him to handle….
    May God Be our strength.

  7. I literally found myself exhaling as I am reading this, and didn’t even realize I was holding my breath – need Sabbath rest! 🙂

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