Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

Devotion

Imagine with me—laying back on a kayak, letting the river take you downstream, no one else in sight, so you close your eyes and listen to nature lull you into a peaceful and restful moment. 

My friend and I have taken time at the beginning of August for the past five years to go to the same cabin, eat the same foods and kayak the same river—to celebrate that we SURVIVED summer!! That’s what our feeble hearts said when we were worn out—but really, we needed the Sabbath. We talked through all we had experienced that year, all the feelings wrapped around said experiences, and truly surrendered them to the Lord. We mourned what was lost, celebrated what the Lord did, and hoped for what was to come. More importantly, we found REST in the Lord's understanding of it all. 

The word “sabbath” comes from the Hebrew word shabbat, which means “to rest.” The Sabbath commemorates the day God rested after he created the world, as described in Genesis 2:2-3.

We hear more about this idea in Exodus when the Lord led the Israelites out of captivity. He gave them a set of commandments to live by, the Sabbath being one of them: “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” (Exodus 20:8-10a).

Life is more than working six days and setting aside the seventh for the Lord. It is about a rhythm of holiness and rest. The verse says, “keeping it holy;” holy meaning “set apart.” The Lord designed a rhythm for the Israelites to express that he was the ruler of their hearts and souls. It was a moment set apart for recentering, refocusing, and reconnecting with God and his creation. This day, the Sabbath, was a day to focus on him instead of their normal daily routines. 

The Sabbath was a sign of the covenant between Israel and the Lord (Exodus 31:13). As Israel kept the Sabbath set apart, they were also reminded that they were set apart: “So you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.” 

Then, Jesus came. 

Through his resurrection this idea of Sabbath carries on from the Israelites to us. Through Jesus, we now have ultimate rest. He takes burdens, worries, fears, disappointments, losses, etc, and holds them close (Colossians 1:17-20). Jesus cares about our souls being “light and easy” not so life can be trouble-free, but so we can be set apart for his Kingdom's sake! When we take time to re-center our lives on the Lord and intentionally set aside time to be reminded of his reign over our hearts, our lives reflect his ability to provide and sustain us! 

His yoke is “light and easy.” It’s peaceful and restful. 

Floating down a river on a kayak one time a year is not enough Sabbath for your soul. So what does that look like in your weekly routine? How do you “rest” in the Lord? What time are you setting aside to give back to the Lord—to recenter, refocus, and realign your heart, to give him your burdens, and focus on his Kingdom?

Maybe it’s a time of journaling to the Lord each week. Maybe it’s sitting on your back porch with a cup of coffee and chatting with him every Friday. Maybe it’s giving your time to help at a food pantry. Or if you are like me with a one-year-old and three-year-old at home, maybe it’s at every diaper change, you work on memorizing Scripture! What does rest for your body, soul, and mind look like for you?

Take time this week to find a rhythm of Sabbath in your routine. Find rest for your soul in Jesus. Look for his light and easy ways. 

PRAYER

Lord, give us diligence and desire to carve out a rhythm of Sabbath in our lives—connecting, resting, and desiring your will and not our own. Help us to fully rest our souls in YOU. Amen.

Lindsey Harbaugh
Associate Pastor, Connections Ministries - OKC

Lindsey gets the honor of working with guests, attendees, and volunteers to help make this a place where people feel like they belong as they find and follow Jesus!

Resources

• Listen to Slow Down the Moment by Crossings Venue Worship.
• Watch the Bible Project: Sabbath.
• Listen to Come to Me by Steven and Hannah Musso.
• Read The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer.
• Read Soul Keeping by John Ortberg.

Read More Devotions

Explore other devotions like this one any time at crossings.church/devotions.