Ben Stuart emphasizes that rest is a form of faith—that when we stop, we trust, as King David did in Psalm 23, that the Lord will provide and sustain us in the meantime.
Key Takeaway
Sabbath is a symbol of faith—it's trusting that God will be the one that feeds us.
Sabbath - to cease, rest, or take a break.
In Genesis 1, God stopped working to enjoy what He made.
God brings us to life—we do nothing, and then we work from that.
God wove salvation by grace right into the fabric of creation. The day would start in the evening—we began with rest and entered into work. God was already working.
Sabbath is a symbol of faith—it's trusting that God will be the one that feeds us.
Let the land grow naturally, stop, and trust that God will provide.
Let's sit, rest, and meditate on the word.
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Psalm 23
God was turning worry into worship.
We'll get better at work if we can rest.
The shepherd is everything to the sheep. He is a constant, comprehensive, intimate presence. If we have confidence in the competence of our shepherd, we can relax.
When David understood that the same God who led Moses was leading Him, he could trust Him.
The contemplation of His sovereignty calmed his anxiety.
You may be looking for money, fame, influence, and political power to provide for us, but you can't make anything your source apart from God. You're looking for comfort in places you cannot find it. Everything will leave other than Jesus.
How do we know He will provide? He went into the valley and laid His life down for us.
The right path will lead you through valleys.
Discussion Questions
What does sabbath mean to you?
Have you been working from a place of rest or a place of striving?
Read Genesis 2:1-3. Why do you think rest was woven into the fabric of creation?
Have you been trusting that God will provide for every need you have? How or how not?
What does worship look like for you in seasons of immense worry?
King David looked to the stories of his ancestors to confirm that he could trust God. What stories can you cling to that reassure your own faith in God?
What are some of the characteristics of God? How has understanding God's character helped calm your anxieties?
What are you looking for in this world to provide for you that only God can provide?
How do we know that God will provide?
How does it make you feel knowing that the right path will include trials and tribulations?