3 Reasons to Keep the Sabbath

By Jill Palmer

For some reason the modern Christian culture is a wee bit terrified of the word Sabbath. Or maybe we aren't terrified of it, maybe we just don't understand it. Either way we don't see the practice of a Biblical sabbath as a necessary part of our Christian walk. I want to challenge that way of thinking.

The word "rest" is a word the Holy Spirit has been echoing in my head over and over for several years now. My physical body, my soul and my spirit have been crying out for rest but my mind just couldn't figure out what that looked like much less how to do it. Like a funnel that starts out wide, so was this idea of rest. And as a funnel narrows, so did this idea, narrowing into the practice of sabbath.

Like many of us, I thought I was already sabbathing. I spend several hours at church on Sundays, not just because I'm the pastor's wife but because I truly enjoy worshiping with my church family. Isn't that what sabbath is? What I discovered through study was far different than my understanding! God wasn't saying to pause and go to church. He said to stop and delight in me. This is a holy day - a day set apart. A day that looks different than every other day of your week.

For me this meant no work (no returning emails or non-emergency communication), no household chores (bills, dishes, laundry etc..), no media (TV, computer, iPads and cell phones). Add in family activities, not to be busy but to be together (includes, but isn't limited to, hiking, biking, playing games, painting etc...), reading time (Bible and other books I want to catch up on), napping (love this one!), slowing down everything! It's a delight to discover what I love to do and what my family loves to do!

And the benefits?! Oh my goodness! God totally knew what He was doing when He included the sabbath in the 10 Commandments.

1) It's about our identity. The Israelites had been slaves for 400 years! Since the time of Joseph they had lived and worked in Egypt. Working for Pharaoh 24/7. Hard, hard labor! Exhausted they cried out to God for a deliverer. God heard their cries and raised up for them a leader - Moses. Moses led his people out of Egypt and miraculously across dry land through the Red Sea. Once there, God gave His people the commandments and established a new nation. Part of their teaching was "self-care" and identity.

This one commandment - the 4th commandment - immediately elevated the Israelites. No longer were they slaves having to work tirelessly every single day. God said to rest. Take one full day off a week. Trust in Him for provision. They are far more valuable than the work they do. They have value and worth because of Who He is. We have value and worth because of Who He is. We are loved, not because of what we do but because of who we are.

No longer are we slaves to this world (money, work, sports etc...). We have love, value and worth because of our Creator. Stopping for a full 24 hours reminds us of our new identity in Christ.

2) It's about loving ourselves. We aren't very good at taking care of ourselves. Truly we don't know our own limitations. Thankfully we know a God Who does. He knows what we are capable of and what we can't possibly do. He knows that we don't fully understand our new identity so we work and work and work trying to prove to ourselves and to others something that He already knows.

Why do we insist on working and serving beyond the point of burnout? In wanting to feel needed and important, we miss the signals that say we are reaching capacity. Instead we try to cram more in. More activities, longer hours. More. And then we reach burnout. Not the destination we were aiming for but because we've missed the signs that say turn before you fall off this cliff, we find ourselves in that exact spot. Mad at people. Mad at the church. Mad at God.

We must listen to, and love ourselves before we reach this point. By intentionally making sabbath a priority we are slowing down to listen to God and ourselves. Are we reaching burnout? If so, we can hear it and act accordingly before we go over the edge.

3) It's about engaging in now. Our lives are inundated with information, media, work...distractions. There is so much noise in the world around us we often miss the now that is happening...well...now! We miss the beauty of a sunset, the smell of flowers, the sound of our loved ones laughing, the feel of gentle sunshine on our faces, the sweet whisper of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, the thrill of doing something we actually love. We miss the now because of the worry of the future or the regret of the past. We spend so much time going from task to task and being concerned about what's happening everywhere else but here. Our senses are on overload!

Sabbath allows us to stop and engage in the now. We don't have to be concerned with a to-do list or what's next list. We can shut out the noise and listen to the things that are quieter and oftentimes sweeter. We can hear what's really inside of ourselves and inside of our loved ones. We can hear the sweet voice of Jesus reminding us who we are, His love for us, He plans for us, the battles He wins for us. It anchors us and brings us back to now.

The sabbath is an invitation from the Lord to enter into His rest. It's not a duty or a responsibility. It's a delight! And I believe it's life-changing. 

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. 

Psalm 23:1-3a

A beautiful reminder from my Shepherd.