Rhythms of Rest: Finding the Spirit of Sabbath in a Busy World

by Shelly Miller

I believe it is of great significance that God begins the fourth commandment with the word remember, and also that he uses more words to convey this commandment than he does the other nine: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 20:8–11 He knows how easy it will be for us to forget that the Sabbath was created for us and not we for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). In Christ, Sabbath is a personal invitation for restoration and recreation uniquely fashioned for each of us. If we are called to be separate from the world and different from the norms society dictates, Sabbath communicates that difference to the people around us.