28 Day Journey-Day Fourteen
Sunday 12//18//0514 Rest 2
Funny thing, Sabbath. It’s here…again. Six short days have passed and Sunday has come once more. It’s been like that since Eden, God’s weekly “pause button” on this rat race called life. Sabbath doesn't come so much for His sake (as though He’s going to be any less God if we don’t stop to honor Him), but for ours. Because sadly we can’t travel too far without forgetting that He is God—and we are not.
That’s what today is all about. Sabbath is not about legalism and rule keeping. This holy day of rest is about the posture of our hearts...about laying at His feet the heavy weight of the world we’ve tried to carry all week long.
There’s so much to be done to get ready for Passion 06 (and everything else in our lives) and so little time to do it. And that’s the point exactly. We can’t. But, then again, Sabbath reminds us that God is building the house that stands, not us. And having done our best at all we can, it’s time to be still...and by our very godly inactivity exalt Him as our all in all.
Breathe out weight and worry. Breathe in again the bigness of God.
This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength. Isaiah 30:15a
Today’s prayer:
Father we praise You today. Not because we are supposed to, but because we want to…we need to. We need to remember again today that You are Almighty. Limitless. Unchanging. Forever the same. From weariness and brokenness we look up to You. You are the source of life and peace. All of our help comes from You, Maker of heaven and earth.
Passion06 is thirteen days away…not enough time to get everything done and cover all the bases. We are doing all we can with what we have, but in the end You must breathe the whole thing to life. Breathe on us, Holy Spirit of God. Jesus, You are the same yesterday, right now and as long as there will be.
Through the day: You.
posted by 268gen at
1:59 AM
6 Comments:
Louie and all at Passion, our family here in Melbourne, Australia have been journeying with you and praying for you, especially over the last 14 days.May you all find a space in the busyness to be still and hear the "Still small voice"
We are praying that all your preparations go smoothly and that you do cover all the bases. We are also praying for protection for all the staff and their families.
We pray with you that our mighty God breathes the whole thing in Nashville to life and that those young people attending will be awakened afresh to His spendour and desire to live lives for His name and renown.
By
gail, at 12/18/2005 5:55 AM
"not enough time...doing all we can"
From Abraham Joshua Heshel's "The Sabbath":
"Technical civilization, we have said, is man's [humanity's] triumph over space. Yet time remains impervious. We can overcome distance but can neither recapture the past nor dig out the future. Man transcends space, and time transcends man.
Time is man's greatest challenge. We all take part in a procession through its realm which never comes to an end but are unable to gain a foothold in it. Its reality is apart and away from us. Space is exposed to our will; we may shape and change the things in space as we please. Time, however, is beyond our reach, beyond our power. It is both near and far, intrinsic to all experience and transcending all experience. It belongs exclusively to God.
Time, then, is otherness, a mystery that hovers above all categories. It is as if time and the mind were a world apart. yet, it is only within time that there is fellowship adn togetherness of all beings....
God called the world into being, and that call goes on. There is this present moment because God is present. Every instant is an act of creation. A moment is not a terminal but a flash, a signal of Beginning. Time is perpetual innovation, a synonym for continuous creation. Time is God's gift to the world of space."
Psalm 127 comes to mind Lord. Unless you build your house... and you call your house a house of prayer for all nations. Lord, you always heal on the Sabbath those whose hearts and bodies are longing for, hoping in, and waiting on You.
When my firstborn son was in neonatal intensive care i wrote:
In silence we wait, under your feathers, they brush our cheeks, and calm our fears, in this warm quiet place, we nuzzle and rest, safe and secure, in the highest nest, You soar the heavens, you touch the sky, effortless wings, full of strength and might, we are tiny wisps, under grace-filled eyes, out to the thermals, on your pinions we ride, it's time to rise up, embrace the dawn, it's time to stretch our wings, so much to see, the span of your kingdom, we lift one voice and sing, glory and honor, power and praise, be to our God, day after day.
Lord, in these days may Nashville become your sanctuary. May 24-7 intercession rise up from the streets before a single soul enters that empty facility. I agree with Gail, this is about the revelation of your splendor...through its gates, the righteous nation may enter up and into You as you descend down and into us.
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Unknown, at 12/18/2005 12:15 PM
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Anonymous, at 12/18/2005 5:09 PM
I need a place to stay for volunteering. I am a male. if anyone has room in their room, contact me directly. luke at lukepools.com
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Anonymous, at 12/18/2005 9:05 PM
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Anonymous, at 12/18/2005 9:06 PM
Louie,
Thanks for the inspiration of rest for today! It's just what I needed after running around the last few days trying to get everything ready for Christmas. However, even after many years of school, it's still difficult to accept a day of rest the day before finals week. One week till Christmas, and two weeks till Passion06... PTL!
Silke
By
Silke, at 12/18/2005 10:54 PM
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