Day 46 - Issue 26
Genesis 2:2-3 NLT
'On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.'
In our overworked society, finding the time to stop and rest is becoming a national epidemic. Psychiatrists and medics tell us that we take years off our life from too little sleep which itself provokes us to eat too many of the wrong things to satisfy our sleep-deprived bodies. Yet, it becomes increasingly challenging to call a stop and find some level of work-life balance.
Here at the start of scripture, God, having created all that there is out of absolutely nothing, pauses to survey his work, and then rests. This seventh day of creation is declared holy as it is the day God took time out to do nothing. I’ve discovered in those seasons of my life when I’ve overworked, while I might like to stop, I simply cannot wind down instantly and rest. I am not alone, many people have lost the practice of stopping and enjoying the stillness that is doing nothing.
Indeed, as I work with individuals and groups on prayer and ask the question as to how many enjoy ‘wasting time with God’, I get some odd looks and even some questions over what I’m suggesting. The problem is the idea that time might be wasted. Yet, as I point out, that in itself is the real problem. We want to spend time with God, yet find it a challenge, for it appears to waste precious time that might be better invested elsewhere. Not just better for me, but a far more efficient use of a precious commodity in the interests of God’s kingdom.
But none of us can know how best to use time in serving God. We do so faithfully and out of good intent. Yet, the greatest gift is simply to stop and find space to hang out with God. No agenda but to explore the character of our friendship with the Almighty.
QUESTION: Is your mind driven by constant agendas that impose their demands upon you, your life and your family?
PRAYER: Father, teach me to how to enjoy time in your presence.
