A psalm. A song for the Sabbath day (preface to Psalm 92).
The Sabbath is—
- a day of reflection
- a day of rejoicing
- a day of reconnecting
- a day of meditating on past blessings
- a day of strengthening for the upcoming week
- a day of acknowledging the Creator
- a day of appreciating creation
- a day of assessing the investment of my God-given talents
- a holy day—different from all other days
So … “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night” (vv. 1, 2).
Sabbath is not just a noun, but a verb—sabbathing—something that can be done every day, but something which also takes on special significance for the one day each week that we set aside as our holy day or worship and reflection.
The Creator’s works and wisdom should be pondered and praised as we sabbath (vv. 4-6), something “a fool” doesn’t take time to do.
As we sabbath, we should confess to God—and then turn over to Him—those things which have overly preoccupied our minds (vv. 7-9).
We should recommit that the place of growth and blessing is in God’s presence (v. 13) as we endeavor to keep our hearts there. And then we can be energized and joy-filled as we contemplate His blessing which never diminishes nor grows old (vv. 14, 15).
Truly sabbathing is a good thing!
Do you have a Sabbath day? Do you find time to regularly sabbath in God’s presence?
UPDATE: I dive deep into this idea of sabbathing in my book Shepherd Leadership: The Metrics That Really Matter.
Craig T. Owens 