Sabbath: Come & Rest in the Gospel - Utah Devotional (March 24)
שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם! This phrase in Hebrew tradition is said, “Shabbat Shalom,” and is translated as “Peaceful Sabbath.” It’s used as both a greeting and a blessing. When someone says it, they are not just saying hello. They are expressing a genuine hope that you would experience peace from the Lord during the Sabbath. And that raises an important question: What was the point of Sabbath in the first place?
Was it to work hard for six days and then reluctantly take a day off, feeling unproductive and inconvenienced? Probably not. Was it to work so hard for six days that you arrive at Sabbath completely exhausted, collapsing into rest simply because you have nothing left? Closer—but still not quite right. Like many good theological questions, the answer isn’t simple. So instead of guessing, let’s listen to the command itself. In Exodus 20:8-11, God says to Moses:
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work — you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates. For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.”
One phrase immediately stands out: “Keep it holy.” Sabbath was never meant to be an inconvenience or merely a rule to obey. It was meant to be holy. To keep something holy is to approach it with reverence toward the God who created it. It is to posture your heart in gratitude before Him. It is to recognize that the day belongs to the Lord and to receive it as a gift. Sabbath is not about squeezing in a day of recovery after exhausting yourself. It is about intentionally turning your attention toward God, the One who gives rest. And that’s hard to do if we are still spiritually out of breath. The beautiful reality is that although we Sabbath one day a week, we serve the Lord of the Sabbath every day. And as we worship Him, we begin to experience a deeper kind of rest—not just physical rest, but rest for our souls.
Take a moment silently to express some grateful thoughts toward the Lord, and then let’s worship together.
The second thing we see in this command is that God calls His people to work six days and rest on the seventh. At first, that might feel a little strange for a mission trip. When MJ gave me the idea of taking a Sabbath day for this trip, my honest reaction was something like this: “Wait… this is a mission trip. Don’t we get a pass this week? There’s work to do!” But the truth is, it doesn’t really matter what I think when it comes to a direct command from God.
So why don’t we get a pass? Why doesn’t important work, like a mission trip, count as a reason to skip Sabbath? I think there are two simple reasons. First, the work we are doing on this trip is not meant to be something we only do here. Yes, we can’t always come to Utah. But the things we are doing—sharing the gospel, serving people, listening to others, worshiping God—are things followers of Jesus are meant to do everywhere. And one of those practices is Sabbath. Sabbath is not just a command; it is a spiritual discipline that reconnects us with our purpose: to know the God of the universe.
Second, we will never experience true rest unless we learn to rest in the One who gives it. Just like we talked about earlier, you cannot truly stop unless you accept Jesus’ invitation. In the same way, you cannot truly rest unless you learn to rest in Him. And that kind of rest takes intentionality. It takes intentionality to slow down. It takes intentionality to focus your heart on God. It takes intentionality to trust that His ways are better than ours.
This brings us to a powerful prayer written by Moses in Psalm 90. You will read the whole Psalm shortly, but here are a few things to notice as you do.
VV. 1-2 – First, Moses reminds us where true rest is found. He begins by saying that the Lord has been our dwelling place in every generation. Before mountains were formed, before the earth existed, before time itself, God was already there. That eternal God is the One we take refuge in. That is the One we rest in.
VV. 3-6 – Second, Moses reminds us how fragile we are. He compares human life to grass that grows in the morning and withers by evening. Our lives are short. Our strength fades quickly. But that doesn’t mean we are insignificant. In fact, the opposite is true. The eternal God loves us, short-lived creatures, deeply. Our lives may be brief, but they matter to Him.
VV. 7-12 – Third, Moses reminds us that true rest requires humility. If God is truly God, then His ways are better than ours. But if we insist that our ways are better, and that we know best, we will never experience the rest He offers. Not because He refuses us, but because we refuse Him.
VV. 13-17 – Finally, Moses shows us what it looks like to turn to God again and again, even when life feels difficult. He asks God to satisfy His people with His faithful love each morning. He asks for joy, favor, and renewed strength. Imagine waking up each day believing that God Himself can satisfy your soul. That’s the prayer Moses invites us into.
What makes this even more powerful is where Moses likely wrote this Psalm. He wrote it in the wilderness. Think about Moses’ story. He spent forty years in exile as a shepherd after fleeing Egypt. At the ripe age of eighty, God called him through a burning bush to lead His people out of slavery. Moses watched God perform miracles, lead the Israelites through the Red Sea, and guide them through the desert. Yet Moses himself would never enter the Promised Land. He would only see it from a distance. And still, Moses chose to call the Lord his dwelling place. Even in the wilderness. That’s the kind of rest we are invited into today.
Now let’s bring this a little closer to home. Today is day five of the trip. In a way, that means we are at halftime. In sports, halftime is an important moment. It gives teams a chance to pause, breathe, and refocus on the mission of the game. If your team is winning, the goal is to keep pressing forward. If your team is losing, the goal is to adjust and fight back. Either way, halftime is a moment to reset.
This Sabbath day is a little like halftime for us. Some of you may feel excited about how this trip is going. Some of you may feel disappointed. Some of you may feel tired. Some of you may feel like it’s flying by. Wherever you are emotionally, that’s okay. But don’t do two things. Don’t let your guard down if things are going great. And don’t take yourself out of the mission if things feel hard.
This Sabbath day exists so that we can rest in the God who sustains the mission. If you feel like you are in a wilderness season right now, you are not alone. Moses rested in God there, too. If you feel like you are in a season of joy and excitement, that’s wonderful, but don’t forget to keep seeking the Lord. Wherever you are, the invitation is the same: Come and Rest.
Let the Lord be your true dwelling place. Ask Him to satisfy your soul. Let Him remind you why you are here. The mission isn’t sustained by your energy or effort. It’s sustained by God. So today, take a deep breath. Slow down. Let the Lord be your refuge. And as you rest in Him, let your heart move naturally toward the next response of Sabbath: Delight
Suggested Prayer:
Jesus, thank You that we don’t have to earn what You have already given us. Help us to lay down our striving and receive the rest You offer. Remind us that our worth is found in You, not in what we do. Let our souls be refreshed in Your presence today. Amen.
Scripture:
Exodus 20:8-11
Psalm 90
Questions To Ponder:
Individual Reflection
Why do you think God commands rest, not just suggests it?
What does Psalm 90 teach you about your time and dependence on God?
What are you holding onto that makes it hard to truly rest?
How can you practically receive God’s rest today instead of just talking about it?