Finding Sabbath

Y'all. If you can squeeze in the time, please please do Priscilla Shirer's bible study, Breathe. She is bringing some much needed truth! It is rocking my world. And from the conversations I hear among mamas around me, I think it is the fresh Word of the Lord that needs to be heard.  We are tired. We are busy. There is so much to do. But this study has challenged me to be still. To oriente myself around God's stillness, around his presence, instead of my to-do list. I'm going to pause so you can soak in that thought... Orienting ourselves around God's presence instead of our to-do list. That idea has really challenged me. To begin the day asking, "How can I be in your presence today?" instead of "What do I need to accomplish today?"  It is so counter-cultural to our society that values hard work above all else. I am certainly not advocating laziness, but I have been challenged by how well I seek stillness. Not to rest, or sleep, but to enjoy God.  To say no to constanct activity and entertainment and commitments. "One of the most important takeaways from Scripture is that freedom creates room for devotion to God. Within this liberty, Sabbath is an opportunity He has carved out for His people to stand in awe of His character, His power, and His handiwork." p. 74 

The craziest thing is that since I have been more intentionally trying to create Sabbath moments, my productivity in other moments is increasing! Priscilla talks about this "sixth-day" principal in regard to the Israelites. "As they honored the seventh-day margin, God would give a double provision on the sixth-day in order to sustain the Israelites. And they wouldn't have to work overtime to reap it.... When we curtail our efforts and interests in obedience to the Spirit's conviction--resisting the gnawing sense of guilt or compulsion to keep pressing beyond the boundaries, beyond that which honors God--He will bless our obedience and sustain us. He will miraculously give twice the harvest, twice the fulfillment, twice the return, even though we haven't done anything more to garner it." p. 66

What is Sabbath?? It is simply resting on a certain day? She doesn't really answer that. And perhaps that's on purpose, so that we can't just check an item off our to-do list. "I rested on Sunday". Check. Instead, she encourages you to acknowledge God's soveriengty and His provision. Trust Him enough to stop and be still. He will take care of things. For real. He loves your people even more than you do, so it's ok to trust them to Him. And then use that time that you were spinning your wheels to focus on Him. She said, "God gave us Sabbath to refocus our attention." That has been my question to myself. Where is my attention? Where is my focus? "Commanding the people to take a Sabbath was Yahweh's way of showing these newly freed people that their relationship with Him was not based on what they could do for Him. He loved them simply because they were His. He had chosen them. That was enough." p. 49

So I want to encourage you as you go out today. Ask God to show you ways you can be in his presence and enjoy Him. The whole purpose of Sabbath is for God's glory to shine. So let's open our eyes, be still, and be amazed at his glory.

(If there is no group near you that is doing this study, start your own! You can buy each video session indvidually at www.lifeway.com/breathe)