"Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done."
~ Genesis 2:3 (NIV)
Good evening, one and all. So... I try to be pretty strict about my sabbath, and I tend to be pretty old school about it. Saturday is my day of rest, but the sun has just set and aside from a little lovely alpenglow on the cloud outside my window, I do believe the day is done. I imagine many people would ask, if Jesus was willing to heal on the sabbath, why do we need to take one? I happen to believe God created us in such a way that if we're willing to take that day of rest mentioned in the Big 10, we can accomplish more in 6 days than we could in 7 without it. And, I'm relatively certain that if I was in the headspace to chase down some research, I'd be able to share evidence of that with you.
Alas, since I gave myself a day off of the hymns and posting for today, this is just a quick note to endorse the taking of rest, especially in a time when we need to stay healthy.
Of course, rest does not necessarily mean sleep, right?
You know what leaves you rested at your core. What makes your insides buzz with joy or leaves you with a sigh of contentment. Take the time away from the craziness of the world and the pace of life to do those things in partnership with your physical rest, hm? I suspect that will leave you rested in truth and indeed.
Also, li'l sidebar, two and a half weeks of three people being in the same small space made for short patience in our household today, I thought I'd share a few peace-giving scriptures, because... maybe we're not the only ones.
"The LORD gives His people strength; the LORD blesses His people with peace.'" (BSB) ~ Psalm 29:11
"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal... The path of the righteous is level; you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth... My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you... Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.." ~ Isaiah 26:3-12 (NIV - excerpts)
"And if it is possible, according to what is within you, make peace with every person." ~ Romans 12:18 (ABP)
I used to have a prayer (actually, I still do) I would pray when the pain was too much or the PT too hard, "Thank You, Jesus, that You have the strength for this." I would pray it over and over. Today, I found myself praying, "Thank You, Jesus, that you have the mercy, grace, forgiveness, and peace for this." After all, we can do all things...
May the Good Lord bless you and keep you, my friends... always, in all ways! Amen
Bonus song of praise... ♥