I jolted awake around 3:30pm on Saturday. Perched on my leg is a little brown bird. I scream and shake, nearly falling out of my hammock. The bird squeaks reproachfully as she flutters away, indignant that her new resting place has been disturbed. I sat for a while in shock, my leg slightly scratched from where the sparrow’s thin toes had grabbed me. There’s something about a bird confusing you for a good resting place that can change your perspective.
It’s been a stressful week. The rain has seeped not only into every pore of our campsite, but also my mood. Saturday was the first day I saw the sun in a few days, and I hung up my hammock to take a celebratory nap. The weekends at AIM are called “Sabbath”, but I didn’t fully understand what that meant for us before now.
In Exodus, God gave the Isrealites a commandment to Sabbath on the 7th day of the week. It was a holy day designed to grow the Isrealites in holiness: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy.” (Exodus 31:13) Holiness is extremely important to God. Without holiness, we are separated from Him, which is why thousands of years of sacrifices had to be made in the Old Testament, and Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice, had to perish. (Isaiah 53:5) What is often overlooked is that the Sabbath was given to us as an instrument of Sanctification, not a regulation of censure.
So what did this little brown bird teach me about sanctification? I live my life from to-do lists. I like to check off tasks and glow with pride when I see all the assignments marred by a firm line. I like to be productive. But productivity isn’t the point of the Sabbath. When we are stressed, we are like the little brown bird listlessly searching for a solid place to land. Desperate for peace, we settle on insecure branches, my leg for instance. This world is full of things that promise happiness and fulfillment, but no one but Christ has offered me peace. He says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27) Without peace, can we really be secure in the holiness only He both requires and offers freely? Without His peace, we will flutter to other sources of calm, which only prove to be sinking sand. He is our Rock, our fortress, our salvation, our peace, and our comfort.
I have only recently been introduced to “Sabbathing”. So it is with recent comprehension that I write this blog, begging all who read to cling to the Rock of Peace and the God of Comfort. Holiness does not come from striving and straining, it comes from resting and waiting. Holiness comes from proximity to the Father, and where the Father is, there is Peace. I was stressed this week, I was the sparrow landing on branches that shook me off impatiently. But this weekend, I was able to lay aside my to-do list until Monday. This weekend, I spent time with my Father, while He calmed my anxious heart and reminded me of His Love. This Love that I can’t explain, this Love that requires nothing and gives everything. This rest makes me holy, as He is holy.
I want to finish this blog with one of my favorite hymns, to encourage you in peace, whatever your anxieties may be. Please read this hymn and Sabbath this week.
It Is Well With My Soul
When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well with my soul
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come
Let this blest assurance control
That Christ (yes, He has) has regarded my helpless estate
And has shed His own blood for my soul
My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought (a thought)
My sin, not in part, but the whole (every bit, every bit, all of it)
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more (yes!)
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend
Even so, it is well with my soul!
Thank you for continuing to share your thoughts and I love It Is Well With My Soul! May God continue to bless you and your team!
Love it Ruthie. What an encouragement to Sabbath and rest with our savior! Love you!
Excellent insights. Sabbathing is very important to Our Father. In Isaiah 56 He says that our keeping His sabbaths “…pleases Me”. And He also says that our keeping weekly sabbaths (HIS 7th day Saturday sabbaths) are tangible evidence to ourselves and others that we truly want to please Him. Obedience to Him is the only way we have to demonstrate genuine love for Him. Loving Him is the most important Commandment.
Mark 12:33-34
“…TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE’S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”