Work, But Rest Too

For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works” Hebrews 4:4

The first Friday of 2018 is here! The holidays have passed for another year and it may seem a relief to get back to plain ol' work. We also have a duty to rest. That may be a difficult proposition for some.

A day of rest for the body and soul. A day of doing nothing at all. Just lost some folks right there. Nothing?! I can't do that! They say with a shudder. For a day each week the Israelites were to do no work, not even cooking. There were not to leave their tents. No guard duty.

Wait, you mean that the entire point was not to rest? I'm working out some faith here, but perhaps the point of the Sabbath rest was to trust. The rest observed was only the outward, obvious thing that was going on while in the heart the Israelites were learning to trust God and let things rest with Him. For a day each week, they had to leave their security completely in God's hands. No guards with spears circling the resting camp, for that would defile the Sabbath and the guards. A sea of tents without apparent human activity. Ripe pickings for any enemy who happens along, or so it would seem from an earthly view. Our Lord is always who He is though, do we trust Him enough to leave our endeavors with Him for one whole day this week?

A day of rest does our body good. How much good might come to us from resting our anxious thoughts for a day? I work at that anxious toil way too much; I'm sure a day off each week would do me much good!

Let us all resolve to rest in our Lord one day each week, and may God bless us in this,

Bucky