When we miss the gift of rest, especially Sabbath rest, we miss so much of God.
First, God comes to us with insights and truths that can only come when we rest. Our minds are not filled with our to do list or goals. The soil of our souls remains fallow and God is able to refresh her with fresh nutrients. Goals we think are important, we find out, are irrelevant. His love becomes our experience. We learn to trust Him with the church, with our problems, with our worries.
Secondly, we free the people we serve. They see a prophetic sign and wonder that we are no longer slaves to work. We are not under powers and principalities of evil (Deut. 5:12-17). Our identity is in God’s love and goodness, not what we do.
Thirdly, we save our communities and cities. We communicate, in a different way, that God is on the throne. He is worthy of their trust. During Sabbath rest, God’s life also infuses ours in ways that can happen in no other place. After resting, we offer the world something we did not have before. We become a gift.
If you want to save the world for Jesus, stop and rest.
