Sabbath Speed Limits
I can’t spend a week talking about the lessons I have learned driving the speed limit without sharing the miracle of God’s protective heart. Just like speed limits are for our protection, so our God’s laws. One of God’s commandments was specifically designed for protection from the evil of hurry and busyness. I heard it said once that “If the Devil can’t make you bad, he will make you busy!”. To combat that evil plan, God gave us a gift to slow us down - Sabbath!
Exodus 20 says:
“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. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exodus 20:8-11 , NIV)
I love to think that Sabbath is God’s speed limit. Sabbath means to slow down enough that you can savor moments as the gifts God intended them to be. friend, when was the last time you took an entire day to focus on God, rest in His presence and enjoy His blessing? If you can’t remember, it’s time to change!
Laurel and I work hard to protect our Sabbath. We have learned that work can wait, but connecting with God can’t. Here are a few ways that we love to savour our Sabbath together:
Joyful engagement in worship – Church is a great aspect of the Sabbath. Come with joy, expectancy, and hope.
Hold your schedule loosely – Take a rest from your normal regimented schedule. Ditch the timelines and deadlines to spend a day wandering at a different pace.
Enjoy nature – Take a walk with no timeline attached. Get outside and enjoy the world that God created for you. Go out and don’t have an assigned time to get back, just enjoy yourself until you are done.
Recreate – Recreate with anything that brings you joy. If running brings you joy, run! If playing with your kids brings you joy, play! Sabbath does not have to be sombre, it should be joy-filled!
Sabbath meal – Savour good food as a gift from God. Savour the taste, savour the conversation and savour the quiet.
Rest from worry – Don’t do anything that distracts you or increases worry (bills, to-do lists, etc). Step away with purpose and joy.
Engage in a godly conversation that builds people up – talk, share a story, or ask a question.
God has invited all of us to embrace His speed limit and to rest easy under His protective and watchful presence. Take a moment and plan out your next Sabbath. In doing that, you will be opening your life to a miracle of pace and rest!
I want to close with another quote from John Mark Comer. I love the heart in these words:
“Here’s my point: the solution to an over-busy life is not more time. It’s to slow down and simplify our lives around what really matters.”
friend, your life really matters. Embrace the pace that Jesus has designed for your soul. Rest in the “unforced rhythms of grace” and never surrender to the tyranny of the urgent again.
Jesus, thank you again for slowing us down. We need your help in resisting the urge to go too fast. Help us to match our speed with your perfect timing.
God bless you friend!
You are a miracle!
