The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. ~Psalm 23:1-3 (RSV)
God wants to restore our souls and that’s why He created a Sabbath. The word Sabbath means to rest from labor and God was our example when He rested from His labors. When we choose to follow in His footsteps and cease from our labors it provides rest for our body and refreshment for our souls. Many of the Jewish leaders of Jesus’ time believed the Sabbath was to be observed out of reverence for God’s law, but Jesus said that the Sabbath law was made for man. God knew from the beginning we would need a periodic rest from our works. The more frazzled we get the more of a “soul rest” we need. We live in a very hectic culture where “getting ahead” is the name of the game. We sacrifice our time with God for time to push and strive to have more and do more than we ever have before not realizing that our time with God is what brings the real “more” to our lives. We don’t see a lot of wholeness and healing emanating from those who don’t take time to seek Gods way of doing things. A good soul rest is a time of reflection and as we trust God with all we are setting aside, He enables us to prioritize and put the truly most important things in our lives back into perspective. When we put the most important on the backburner for extended periods of time it costs us much more than we ever wanted to pay. It costs us our relationships, ones we have already been given and ones we could have established and cultivated had we not been too busy seeking after the things of this world that produce no lasting satisfaction, much less joy!
In our culture for the most part the Sabbath is traditionally observed on Sunday by going to church. This is a wonderful expression of our love for God, and it is rejuvenating, but we can experience a Sabbath soul rest at any time. In this age of grace, we are able to get quiet before the Lord and commune with the Holy Spirit to let Him give us rest and restore our souls any time of any day. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” (NIV) Notice Jesus never added a time or date to that sentence. That is because any time is a good time to seek refuge from the struggles and pressures of life in the Lord’s presence. If you need a good soul rest, don’t wait for Sunday morning. Go to Jesus today, get quiet before Him and let Him transform your heart, your thoughts, your goals, and your life. You just might find your biggest problem is not what’s going on around you, but what’s going on inside of you. Our possibilities and opportunities have unlimited potential when we take time to rest in the Lord because we are preparing ourselves to be astounded and amazed by the Lords unshakable and unfailing love for us.
He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. ~Psalm 23:3-6 (NIV)
Do you struggle with slowing down and seeking the presence of the Lord?
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