Are You An Observer Or Preserver?
Isaiah 58:13-14 says, “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
What is your initial knee-jerk reaction when someone asks you what the Sabbath means? Maybe all kinds of legalistic do’s and don’ts, activities, and thoughts come to mind, or maybe it is truly a day that you look forward to every week. How quickly we forget that as much as it’s a day that we dedicate to God, it’s also a day that God has given to US.
How often in life is God just waiting to give us something, yet we refuse to accept the gift or offer? To slow down long enough to accept it? THIS is the Sabbath for me at times. Sometimes I feel like I’m running around, scrambling to get everything done during the week so that when Sunday hits I can rest, but that day I am only reminded of all the things that need to be done in the coming week? Just STOP, Kristin! Anyone else in the same boat? I’ve neglected to find my joy in HIM, but in the busyness of life. I once heard that with the Sabbath, we aren’t only to observe, but preserve it. An observer remembers to rest, where a preserver rests to remember. Oh how I often have it all wrong!
It is ONE day out of the week that God asks for us to march to the beat of His routine. To step away from the chaos around us and spend time connecting with Him. And without this day, we wouldn’t have the chance to listen to where He is leading, think about where we could make some changes, and just put aside the unnecessary. The Sabbath gives us room to BREATHE. And the more we preserve the Sabbath, the more we hopefully will see the value of slowing down and breathing. Me included, folks.
I mean, who doesn’t want that? To have room to BREATHE? And yet we refuse to pause and we let our Sabbaths just become another routine day. If someone were to look at your planner or the timetable of your life, would they see one day as different than all the others? Reread the verses from Isaiah again and take the time to slow down to see if the Spirit is prompting you to change something within your heart and life.
I really appreciate how you brought the preserve part of the Sabbath into the equation. I had never thought of it that way but it is so
important.
And that’s the part I can so easily forget about! Observing vs. preserving! So thankful for the day God has given us!
I love the part that say, “not going your own way…”. It’s the spending time connecting with Him where we truly find Joy and rest! Thank you for this beautiful reminder!
I can so easily go my own way in thinking that what I need to get done is more important! But I’m thankful God gives us so many reminders in Scripture of how to respect and preserve the Sabbath! Thank you for your comment bc you are EXACTLY right, that is where joy and rest are found!