“However, we have come to find that Sabbath never just happens. In our 24/7 world, I have never once seen someone accidentally keep a Sabbath.”
A. J. Swoboda, Subversive Sabbath: The Surprising Power of Rest in a Nonstop World (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2018), 33, Kindle edition.
This is definitely true. Especially in my season as a parent with kids’ activities. I often look at our calendar, feeling overwhelmed without even glancing at my own responsibilities.
We have to be proactive in creating time to rest.
Just like intentional conversations with our kids, date nights with our spouse, and laughter with friends, our most cherished relationships often get pushed to the side since they don’t have deadlines. This includes God.
Yet there is a reason we call it living a Sabbath Rhythm. We can get stuck in compartmentalized thinking, where we schedule out our times with God, forgetting He is with us in every moment.
When I first became a Christian, I was baffled by the invitation to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). My concept of prayer was limited to eyes closed and words spoken. How do we get anything done if we are always praying?!
Then there was this moment, many years later, when I was driving to a meeting where a tough conversation awaited. As I was thinking through the words I wanted to say, I realized that I was processing the upcoming task with God. He had become a friend, somebody I invited into every celebration, question, and curiosity.
This was praying without ceasing. An ongoing conversation with the God of the universe, who intimately knows me and unconditionally loves me. It was as if God was sitting in the car with me.
The goal of a Sabbath Rhythm is to slow down enough that we recognize God’s voice in our lives, sense His presence with us, and observe His work around us.
The fruit of a Sabbath is not just physical rest, but slowing down our inner world enough that we can be available to God. And then we start to notice it at unscheduled times—sitting at a soccer practice, prayerfully having conversations with other dads; realizing I need to put down my to-do list and go for a run, allowing my thoughts to have clarity for the road ahead; being surprised by an amazing conversation with my daughter as we drive to musical practice; remembering God’s delight in me as I chase little Hope around the park.
As you schedule times with God, intentionally slowing down to be available, those moments start to surprise you through unplanned opportunities.
God is with us in every moment. He is constantly working in the lives around us.
Look for Him. Be expectant. This is when Sabbath becomes a rhythm of your daily life.
Look for Him. Be expectant. This is when Sabbath becomes a rhythm of our daily lives.