Remember that verse about remembering the Sabbath? It’s one of the ten commandments, actually (Exodus 20:8), and the one that I seem to forget about the most easily. But this past year, God’s been gently reminding me of it.
Distracted, forgetful child that I am, always leaving my backpack on the porch. This time, I want to remember to carry the necessities of discipleship with me.
But why are we told to “remember” the Sabbath? It must be because we’ve forgotten it. And if we’ve forgotten it, then it must have been something we previously knew and possessed and treasured.
When God created the heavens and the earth, He declared it all good, then rested on the seventh day. We know this. Yet we’ve forgotten it.
When God created Adam and Eve, He made them in His image, in His likeness. Perhaps we’ve forgotten that, too.
When God instituted the Sabbath as the defining habit of His people, He recalled back to creation. To those moments when He, Himself, rested and declared a holy day. A set apart day. A remembering day. (Exodus 20:11)
So maybe when we remember the Sabbath, we are remembering so much more than a rule to abide by, or even a day of rest. When we truly “remember” the Sabbath, we are remembering our own likeness to our Creator. We remember not just to imitate Him, but that His imprint is our very life. We remember that we belong to Him, our time belongs to Him, all of creation belongs to Him.
We remember the Sabbath, because it is already a part of us. But, for most, a long lost part. It has been buried and forgotten under endless emails and messages, days of play for our own escape rather than to connect with the heart of a playful Father, and the busyness that snatches our moments, our hours, our days, and our lives if we are not intentional to pause long enough to remember.
It’s like in The Lion King when Mufasa materializes in the clouds, telling Simba, “Remember who you are!” And a big part of that remembering was Simba recognizing that he was the spitting image of his father. Made to do the things His father did. Destined for so much more than the world’s false sabbath — a self-centered “hakkuna mattata” attitude.
Sabbath is not to be made, forced, stolen, or ignored. It is to be kept and remembered, because it is already there within us, in the truest part of who we are — our God image.
How can you remember the Sabbath this week? As you choose a day of rest, let it also be a day of remembering God’s distinct fingerprint on your life.
3 Comments
Thank you Cora. Good read. It’s a good reminder to always take the time on Sabbath to thank Our Heavenly Father for all He has created for us and to stop and reflect back on my week and enjoy my spiritual connection with Jesus.
Your first 3 articles are so interconnected that I find it hard to comment on one without reflecting back on the others. As I took time to rest and observe the Sabbath this week, I gazed up at the night sky and wondered at the massiveness of His creation. It is always mind boggling to me how tiny we are and how GREAT HE IS! And as I pondered, once again, how our planet seems so insignificant in the layout of the universe I watched a falling star enter the atmosphere. Yes, I know it was a meteor, but it was a sign to me. It was the almighty YHWH showing me his “Fingerprint” and touching my heart as He declared, “Like this meteor descended from the Heavens, so my Son was sent to you. As you sit in the dark of night and ponder your insignificance, I have wrapped my arms around you as a Father and shown you how much I care.”
I look forward to following your blog and reflecting on your spiritual insight.
What a beautiful gift from the Father!