Far too often, we approach our daily lives with the mindset that we must maximize every second or else we’ll miss out on a “successful” life. As our calendars fill and margins slim, the frenetic pace and pressure of life begin to generate a constant flow of anxiety, stress, and fear. If left unchecked, this unsustainable striving will leave us broken and empty, disconnected from the peace and pace God intended for our hearts.

However, in His grace, God established the Sabbath to help us counter the chaos of striving. What is Sabbath? Simply a day, or a season, where we stop, rest, and remember who God is and what He’s done. It’s an opportunity for us to declare once again that our confidence and hope are in God alone, not in our own abilities or wisdom. It is not time off, to simply disconnect from the world, but it is time up. Time to look up; to fix our eyes on the source of our true strength; to reconnect with the One who made us and who loves us.

When we participate in Sabbath, we commit to stopping. We make space in our busy schedules to slow down, pause, and surrender our striving efforts. This is how we begin to move from the non-stop, never-ending, rush of life to recenter ourselves on God. When we carve out time to stop, we let God’s peace set the pace of our souls.

Then, from that place of stopping, we aim to rest in God. It’s this rest that helps our hearts resonate with God’s character. We begin to understand and believe that, as His children, we have already been accepted into His family. There is no level of striving or seeking that can diminish or elevate that reality. We’re not missing out when we’re resting in God; we’re refueling. We know God, and in that, we have all that we need.

Lastly, we not only rest in God, but we also aim to remember. All throughout the Scripture, God encourages His people to remember His ways, goodness, and power. God has shown up in the past and He will show up in the future, so we can turn to Him and trust Him with our today. It’s our remembering that should propel us to live lives of faith and dependence on God. 

These three themes will be woven throughout this Sabbath journey and these daily reflections. As we begin, stop and ask that God would help you uncover areas of restlessness as you seek to find rest in Him. Only He can satisfy your deepest longings, so let His peace set your pace and draw near to Him. He is eager and wanting to draw near to you.

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,

“In returning and rest you shall be saved;

    in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”

Isaiah 30:15