Exodus 23:12 - You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to be refreshed. [NLT]
The Lord instituted a time for rest and renewal for His people because He wanted them to thrive. As we see in the book of Exodus, He tells His people to sow their fields for six years and rest on the seventh. So too with working six days and resting on the seventh.
Rest is often overlooked in today’s culture and sometime deemed as counter cultural. God’s way of rest set apart the Israelites from other nations, for not only they but also the foreigners and slaves in their households were allowed to follow this pattern of rest.
Praise God for providing us with peace and rest. He is also our Source of Strength during our weak, feeble moments. We need to remember that we are designed to rest! God divinely created and ordained a Sabbath day of rest for us to draw near to Him and rest in His holy presence! Jesus beautifully exemplified taking time to rest during His ministry here on earth.
In Psalms 46:10, He says "Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”
We can approach our day of rest with expectancy and creativity, welcoming the chance to worship and do something that feeds our souls, which varies according to our preferences. Some will like to play games; some to do gardening; some to share a meal with friends and family; some to take a nap.
Let us rediscover the beauty and richness of setting apart a day to rest.
