Isaiah 58:13-14 New American Standard Bible
Keeping the Sabbath
13 “If, because of the Sabbath, you restrain your foot
From doing as you wish on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a pleasure, and the holy day of the Lord honorable,
And honor it, desisting from your own ways,
From seeking your own pleasure
And speaking your own word,
14 Then you will take delight in the Lord,
And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Take some time to read the entirety of Isaiah 58 again.
Stop and pray after you read each verse and ask the Lord to reveal any ways your public worship is being negated by behavior in your private life.
Confess your sin to the Lord.
Consider asking a trusted friend to hold you accountable as you seek God’s change in your life.
What is one action you will change to reflect your commitment to worship God in your daily life?
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Hebrews 10:19–25 is such a favorite passage of mine..
Not only does it instruct us about the power of encouragement, but far more importantly, invites us to experience intimacy with Jesus through repentance.
When you are tempted to give up on life and your relationship with the Lord, make this a go-to scripture where you discover not only an invitation to run to Jesus but practical steps for personal and private worship in our everyday lives:
Hebrews 10:19-25 Amplified Bible
A New and Living Way
19 Therefore, [a]believers, since we have confidence and full freedom to enter the Holy Place [the place where God dwells] by [means of] the blood of Jesus, 20 by this new and living way which He initiated and opened for us through the veil [as in the Holy of Holies], that is, through His flesh, 21 since we have a great and wonderful Priest [Who rules] over the house of God, 22 let us approach [God] with a true and sincere heart in unqualified assurance of faith, having had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful [to His word]; 24 let us consider [thoughtfully] how we may encourage one another to love and to do good deeds, 25 not forsaking our meeting together [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more [faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ’s return] approaching.
In case you have not heard this before, truth is We All Need Space To Exhale.
Isaiah 58:13-14 Complete Jewish Bible
13 “If you hold back your foot on Shabbat
from pursuing your own interests on my holy day;
if you call Shabbat a delight,
Adonai’s holy day, worth honoring;
then honor it by not doing your usual things
or pursuing your interests or speaking about them.
14 If you do, you will find delight in Adonai —
I will make you ride on the heights of the land
and feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Ya‘akov,
for the mouth of Adonai has spoken.”
Rest.
That sounds so good, but it’s really difficult for a soul like mine.
Even when my physical body is at rest, my mind rarely is.
I feel like I’m always juggling bowling balls in my brain.
Other people’s needs.
Home demands.
Work projects.
The to-do lists never stop growing.
Can you relate?
Yet the Bible makes it very clear we are to honor the Sabbath and pursue rest.
Proverbs 4:23-27 Complete Jewish Bible
23 Above everything else, guard your heart;
for it is the source of life’s consequences.
24 Keep crooked speech out of your mouth,
banish deceit from your lips.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,
fix your gaze on what lies in front of you.
26 Level the path for your feet,
let all your ways be properly prepared;
27 then deviate neither right nor left;
and keep your foot far from evil.
God commands us to hit the pause button on life once a week.
Guard our need to rest.
Guard it fiercely.
Guard it intentionally.
Guard it even if your schedules beg us to do otherwise.
But why?
There are personal reasons we need to observe the Sabbath that are unique for each person.
There are private conversations we need to have with God.
We all need to pause, sit with God, and ask Him to reveal some things to us.
But when I consider today’s key verses, something else also occurs to me.
Sabbath is not just a day for me to give to God.
It’s a day God established for me.
He wants to give me something, if only I’ll slow down enough to receive it:
“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD …” (Isaiah 58:13-14).
The Sabbath isn’t merely a time to be observed; it’s a time to be preserved.
It’s a time to rediscover our joy in the Lord.
I need this.
I want to be a preserver of the Sabbath — one who is determined to protect this day and experience the delight of God.
The observer remembers to rest.
The preserver rests to remember that it’s all about God.
The observer pauses on the Sabbath day in order to follow a rule.
The preserver does more than follow a rule.
They follow God’s desire and embraces His purpose in the rest.
They spend one day a week letting the fresh wind of God’s rest blow through, clearing out what’s been taken in during the week, with a purifying soul exhale.
Psalm 139:23-24 Complete Jewish Bible
23 Examine me, God, and know my heart;
test me, and know my thoughts.
24 See if there is in me any hurtful way,
and lead me along the eternal way.
It’s all about pausing and connecting with God without the distracting chaos of our everyday routines so we can align with His rhythm.
God’s rhythm preserves a space in us to hear His voice, reveals the places where we’re off track, and clears unnecessary clutter.
Quiet rest allows us to see where we are going our own way, the areas where we are more self-pleasing than God-pleasing, idle words that need to be reined in.
During our downtime, we can deal with our mental clutter and focus solely on the ways of God.
The Sabbath makes this possible.
Taking one day for rest gives my soul the freedom it so desperately needs.
Space to breathe.
Inhaling and exhaling in a gentle rhythm set by God.
Sabbath is a holy and sacred gift from God, a time set apart for rest, worship, and reflection.
It reminds us of God’s creative power and his desire for us to experience his peace. In a culture that values productivity and constant activity, observing Sabbath requires our intentional commitment and trust in God’s provision.
When we honor the Sabbath, we accept our dependence on God’s faithfulness.
We cease from our usual work to delight in God’s presence and to prioritize relationships with him and others.
Sabbath rest allows us to recharge physically, emotionally, and spiritually to serve God and others throughout the week. Each Sabbath day is an invitation to enjoy the brevity of God’s rest, to align our hearts with his rhythms of grace.
If you long for spiritual refreshment and deeper intimacy with God, consider embracing the gift of Sabbath rest.
Set aside time to worship, pray, and reflect on God’s goodness. May each Sabbath remind you of God’s peace and too his desire for us to rest in him.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Praying …..
Psalm 84 Complete Jewish Bible
84 (0) For the leader. On the gittit. A psalm of the sons of Korach:
2 (1) How deeply loved are your dwelling-places,
Adonai-Tzva’ot!
3 (2) My soul yearns, yes, faints with longing
for the courtyards of Adonai;
my heart and body cry for joy
to the living God.
4 (3) As the sparrow finds herself a home
and the swallow her nest, where she lays her young,
[so my resting-place is] by your altars,
Adonai-Tzva’ot, my king and my God.
5 (4) How happy are those who live in your house;
they never cease to praise you! (Selah)
6 (5) How happy the man whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are [pilgrim] highways.
7 (6) Passing through the [dry] Baka Valley,
they make it a place of springs,
and the early rain clothes it with blessings.
8 (7) They go from strength to strength
and appear before God in Tziyon.
9 (8) Adonai, God of armies, hear my prayer;
listen, God of Ya‘akov. (Selah)
10 (9) God, see our shield [the king];
look at the face of your anointed.
11 (10) Better a day in your courtyards
than a thousand [days elsewhere].
Better just standing at the door of my God’s house
than living in the tents of the wicked.
12 (11) For Adonai, God, is a sun and a shield;
Adonai bestows favor and honor;
he will not withhold anything good
from those whose lives are pure.
13 (12) Adonai-Tzva’ot,
how happy is anyone who trusts in you!
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 