Scripture: Exodus 23:12, Six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor…
Cease from labor for the purpose of rest. Rest for the animals, the servants, the strangers. Rest for the fields, the vineyards, the olive groves on the seventh year. Cycle for replenishment, cycle for rejuvenation.
Lie fallow. Our restless natures rebel. Idleness nurtures sluggards and boredom; we reply, “Times a wasting.”
Labor taxes our strength, depletes our resources. Without restoration eventually we run dry. The rest God calls for allows for continued supply. A dormant state where seed can stretch deep roots. A solitude where energy re-charges.
Cadence of silence. Can we hear it beneath the busyness of our lives, the noise of our leisure, the fear of quiet?
Even when I rest physically my mind retains a cacophony, unable to dis-engage. Lord I ask for Your quiet to settle into all parts of me; to cease labor, to be still before You. Remove my fear of silence. Replace the uneasy stillness with soundless communion with You, deepening my roots in Your word and Your Spirit.
Psalm of Worship: Psalm 116:7
Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
No comments:
Post a Comment