The Rest-istance: Delight (Isaiah 58:13-14)

Resting on the Sabbath isn’t supposed to be a burden. It’s not a religious duty, or something we should do to try to look like a good Christian. It’s not about spiritual posturing. It’s an invitation from God to delight in resting. To gain pleasure from it.

When was the last time you felt truly delighted about something? Truly satisfied and happy? Especially when our lives are full of stress from the daily grind or from the constant barrage of terrible things going on in the world around us.

The Sabbath is an opportunity to sit as we are, feeling what we feel, delighting in communion with God and with others. It’s an invitation to rest well by stepping out of the systems that we constantly participate in, whether we know it or not. An invitation to stop participating in the unjust systems of our world that never take a break. To stop and notice the ways that we have been out of sync with God, and begin to align ourselves with his will again.

Sabbath is a gift from God to us, as he gives us permission to cease doing the things we think are necessary, and instead embrace the things that are truly life-giving. Ceasing from our normal activity allows us to embrace something better - something we can truly delight in.