Unleashed – As You Go – Pray

The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. — Jesus, (Mark 2:7, NLT)

America – the home of the free, the brave, . . . and the stressed.  According to a Gallup Poll in 2019, Americans were among the most stressed people in the world. In 2011, Norman Anderson, American Psychological Association CEO wrote, “America is at a critical crossroads when it comes to stress and our health.”  A poll conducted in late April of this year by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that a majority of adults, 56%, report that worry or stress due to the pandemic has affected their mental health and well-being.

“People often don’t realize that their difficulties with focus, memory, sleep and relationships can all be related to anxiety,” said Amelia Aldao, clinical psychologist and founder of Together CBT in New York City.

Stress and anxiety are nothing new to this nation or this particular time in history. Every age, every culture, and every nation has found its citizens struggling with issues of life that caused stress. Different names and different circumstances – but the same outcome: a stressed-out society.

God gave us a precious gift that speaks to the soul of the current crisis of stress but is often overlooked or downplayed.  It is the fourth of what we call the Ten Commandments, “Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy….” (Exodus 20:811) A simple yet profound teaching that changes one’s perspectives as the focus moves from self to God.

Sunday – the beginning of the week or the end of the weekend. How one looks at Sunday determines much of what the day means. If I see it as the end of the weekend, it is just the partner day of Saturday – a day to get the yard work done, the final shopping completed and maybe a quick nap.

If I see it as the beginning, it is the renewing day, the Sabbath. I see it as a gift from God and it is a day preparing me for what is ahead. In the midst of the storms, we receive the day as a gift to worship and rest with our focus on God.

Robert Morris writes “The Sabbath is a gift and our observance of it is a bold declaration of our trust in God’s goodness and ability to provide what we need.” Same day – Different perspectives. The calendar doesn’t change but my soul changes greatly.

Worship and rest are the trademark of the Sabbath, blended together to allow the body to rest physically and the soul to be renewed spiritually. Psalm 92 is the beautiful “song for the Sabbath Day” as the Psalmist captures the essence of rest and corporate worship. The sabbath as God intended was to be a delight rather than a burden.

Jesus pushed hard against the religious leaders for turning the sabbath into a laundry list of rules and regulations. Instead of allowing a beautiful gift to be enjoyed, they had made it into a burden. Today many have totally forgotten the day, neglecting the wonderful gift of the sabbath.

It is a challenge to make the Sabbath a priority and protect it but as Isaiah shared, “If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call the sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, serving your own interest, or pursuing your own affairs; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (58:13-14)

We will still face all the same stressors of life; feel the same anxiety of this pandemic. The difference is we will face them having been refreshed and renewed as we enjoy the Sabbath as a day of delight, allowing God to meet us in a powerful and refreshing way. “The Christian needs to walk in peace, so no matter what happens they will be able to bear witness to a watching world.” (Henry Blackaby)

I would enjoy hearing from you on how you make the sabbath a day of delight.

God is great,

Pastor Lynn