Rest and Remember: The Reason For The Sabbath

Sometimes I feel like my life is an endless cycle of complaining.

I complain about the weather, wishing it wasn’t wasn’t so hot and humid where I live.

I complain about my school work, wishing I was smarter or that I didn’t have as heavy a workload.

I complain about my younger siblings’ behavior, wishing they would stop making scenes in public.

I complain about my clothes and shoes, wanting more and not being content with what I already have.

Sometimes I even complain about where I am in my walk with the Lord, wishing I was more spiritually mature or had more motivation to pray or read Scripture like some of my friends.

Lately, I’ve been very convicted about this pattern of behavior. I know complaining is wrong. But sometimes I let these complaints take root in my mind instead of killing them with the truths of the gospel.

Unless you’ve figured out the secret to being perfectly content and never complaining, I have a feeling you struggle with this as well.

Regardless of our circumstances, the question remains the same, “How can we put an end to complaining?”

We Aren’t The Only Complainers

I have a shocking statement to make.

I am a hypocrite.

You probably are too.

Here’s what I mean.

Have you ever read through Scripture with a mindset of, “Man, I can’t believe those Israelites kept doubting God in the wilderness! I mean, they had seen him part the Red Sea! They ate manna every day. What was their deal?”

If you’re wondering where I got these statements from, I’ll share a secret with you. They came from my head, because I have thought these thoughts and so many others. I bet you have too.

The thing is, we’re no better off than the Israelites. Their complaining led them to forget and doubt God’s goodness, and ours does too. 

God isn’t shocked when we forget all that he’s done for us. In fact, he knew we would struggle with discontentment, so he commanded us to take a day every week to rest and remember his goodness.

Purpose Of The Sabbath

What comes to your mind when you think of the fourth commandment, the Sabbath, specifically the Old Testament Sabbath?

If your thought process is anything like mine, you may be thinking about all the things the Israelites were not supposed to do on that day, like cooking and working.

But God never intended the Sabbath to be viewed as a day where certain tasks weren’t allowed. He created it as a day where certain tasks (like work and cooking) could be removed so that we’d have time for something way more important, resting and remembering.

In Deut. 5:12-15, when Moses is speaking to the people of Israel and reiterating the ten commandments the Lord has given them, he says, “‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” (emphasis mine)

God commanded the Sabbath to be a day of remembrance and rest. A day where we spend time meditating on who he is and all that he’s done for us.

Practicing Remembrance

Since being convicted over my lack of gratitude and remembrance for all that God does for me, I’ve decided to start dedicating time every Sunday to remember God’s goodness and faithfulness in my life. 

Every Sunday I take the time to journal how I’ve seen God work in my life. I decided to start this journal by writing out my testimony slowly over time. Each Sunday I ask the Lord to place a memory of his faithfulness in my life and I simply journal that memory. I always highlight certain attributes of God that were revealed to me during that event or season of life. 

I also take the time to write about harder seasons of my testimony. I strive to find reasons to praise God for these circumstances and seek to write out the amazing things God has taught me through these seasons.

Practicing Rest

Studies have shown that our generation is the busiest yet, and I can believe that.

Between school, sports, and our part time jobs, when do we have the time to rest?

The truth is, even though we may not feel like we have time to rest, God says we need it. That’s another reason why he commanded the Sabbath. It’s meant to be a time where we do away with the other things in our life so we have time to rest and focus on God.

On Sundays, I also find it beneficial to remove other things in my life that can distract me from taking the time to rest and dwell on God’s faithfulness.

For instance, I struggle with feeling enslaved to productivity. Taking time to rest is hard for me. I used to spend Sunday afternoons cramming in school work so I could get ahead for the week. The Lord convicted me that I wasn’t using the Sabbath as a time to rest and remember, so I cut school work out of my Sundays.

At first, it was hard for me to take time to rest. I was so used to always doing schoolwork on Sundays that I felt guilty for taking time off. Slowly over time, God has taught me to appreciate rest. Sundays are much more enjoyable now. I’m always looking forward to my Sabbath rest. It’s my favorite day of the week now!

Prioritizing Sunday Rest

I encourage you to take the time to rest and remember all that God’s done for you on Sundays. 

Journaling my testimony and removing schoolwork from Sundays has helped me to keep the Sabbath, but maybe it’s something different for you.

Maybe you’re not that into journaling, and going for a walk every Sunday afternoon to meditate on God’s faithfulness is more up your alley. 

Maybe schoolwork isn’t what’s keeping you from remembering, and there’s something different you need to cut out of your Sundays. It could be anything from cutting out iphone usage to listening to secular music.

Whatever the case may be, I pray that you would consider the importance of resting and remembering on the Sabbath as you go to war on the complaining in your life.

Your life doesn’t always have to feel like an endless cycle of complaining.