Yes, even pastors are not exempt from staying busy. But what makes it even harder to bear is my automatic bodily responses. Let me give you an example. I was having my time with God this morning - to let His Word speak into my life and to share with Him the heavy concerns that were on my heart. There is something about sharing these with God that takes the heaviness and puts the weight on Him. It is the abiding life where, in yoking myself to Him, He bears the majority of the weight. The one who upholds the universe by the word of His power can surely uphold my life with His Word.
As I was getting really comfortable just being with Him, my phone started buzzing uncontrollably (the ringer was off). Why it was on I have no idea but it was my bodily reaction that threw me off. I found myself drifting away from God and wondering who was emailing or texting me! I couldn't just sit with God in silence. I had to find out who needed me or wanted to contact me! It was simply a Pavlovian response where the buzzer went off and my automatic response was to reach for the phone to see who it was.
This is a powerful reminder that it’s hard to turn off life. How do I get far enough away from the distractions of life to pay attention to God? How do I get to the place where the urgent things of life can simply wait? We are so conditioned to “take care of stuff” and as a result my soul has no chance to rest, to catch a breath. My soul needs space to rest in God. While it’s something natural, the pace of life, the demands of life seem to take priority. They are habituated bodily responses created by a need to be wanted, to be important.
So here we go with a Sabbath Experiment. Read Psalm 46:10. Instead we are to rest, to cease from striving and know that He is God. The created order in Genesis is finished and we are not essential to it running. God has it all under control. And in following Sabbath, we redeem time by making it holy.
Sabbath is not intended for us to do what we want. Sabbath is not about going to church and checking it off. The break that Sabbath provides is intended for us to pause, reflect, and enjoy God. It can include other people. It can be done alone. However, the end result is that God is the focus of it. It’s providing an intentional break for us to remind us that our sense of trying to get ahead reflects how deeply insecure we are and how little self-control we have. We are related to Him and that is enough.
Let’s risk something together. For a 24-hour period cease striving and know that He is God. You might take the day to go to the mountains or the beach. You might spend it alone or spend it with friends. You might go hiking, you might sit and watch the waves, or you might have friends over for a meal. You might read a book about God. But the intended break is not primarily about your refreshment and restoration. It might have that as a side effect but the focus of Sabbath is on God.
Try this. Go to church on Sunday and ask this as you are sitting there: “God, how have I made this into something that it’s not? Would you speak to me during this time? Cause my soul to rest in the accomplished work of Christ on the Cross.” Then whatever you decide to do for the rest of the day, make it a prayer time where you purposefully invite God right into what you are doing. Speak to Him as you are hiking or driving or reading. It might include taking a nap but even then do something crazy like dedicate the nap to the Lord thanking Him for this great gift. Whatever, you do, avoid activities that either catch you up with something or get you ahead.
Cease from activities like video games, computers, cell phones, and ipods especially if they are providing noise or there is an incredible dependence upon them. I would also encourage you not to shop no matter how much you like shopping. Avoiding consumeristic tendencies is a great way to reject the need to find your identity in what you have or wear. And be honest about your lack of self-control. And please, the twelve-hour period is not meant to be done at night when you normally sleep.
For those of you that come to Paradigm Shift, let's gather at 7 pm and we’ll share with one another how the experience was. By faith, let's try this together.
