A Day of Rest by Patty Nicholas

As my wedding day approaches, an endless to do list grows to mountainous proportions, and a deadline is looming ominously. I have felt the Holy Spirit impress upon me the importance of maintaining a day of rest in my schedule. 

Sunday, after church, I had roughly six hours of time where I could have cleaned bathrooms, written on my work in progress, which is due in a few short weeks, or performed any plethora of other tasks that needed attention. 

Photo by Patty Nicholas

Instead of jumping into work, I sat down and prayed. I asked God to show me where to start on my extensive list. The next thing I knew it was two hours later. I had fallen asleep. Several years ago, as a new widow, I found myself on my own, trying to maintaining a home, working a full time job, babysitting my young grandson in the evenings, and starting my writing career. I sat with bible in hand, and prayed a very similar prayer. 

What God showed me then is equally true in my busy schedule of today. I needed to honor a day of rest. The Lord emphasized the importance of a rest in him by repetition. You can find the word Sabbath 146 times in the Old Testament, and 56 times in the New Testament. With a word repeated this many times, I took notice. 

Leviticus 24:8 Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. 

Photo by Patty Nicholas

To rest is also a healthy practice. God knew what he was doing when he told us to take a day to honor Him, to reflect on His goodness, and to give our bodies a chance to recover so we can be ready for the next week to come. Let’s face it, we may think we know what our week will look like, but only God has seen tomorrow. 



But what about meeting my deadline, or what about my mile-long list? It is my sincere belief, that when I am in obedience to His will for me, then He will bless my efforts. I trust that everything I have committed to will get done in a timely manner.

God knew what he was doing when he told us to take a day to honor him, to reflect on his goodness and to give our bodies a chance to recover.

What about you? Are you tired, over worked and over committed? How do you rest? 

Multi award winning writer, Patty Nicholas lives in the mountains of North Carolina. She is a busy event planner for the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove, and is a member of the Blue Ridge Writers Group. She is a mother of two grown daughters and grandmother of three. She writes Bible studies and devotionals as well as contemporary romance. Devotions are published in compilations by Lighthouse Bible Studies.

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