Editor’s note: As Loma Linda University Health continues a massive construction project to build the new Medical Center and Children’s Hospital towers, the chaplains invite members of the campus to pray and fast each Tuesday, asking for God’s guidance and wisdom as we continue to grow. Below is a devotional from a series in News of the Week based on the biblical book of Nehemiah, in which Nehemiah faced a massive building project of his own.
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In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. –Nehemiah 13:15
About 5 p.m. on Friday afternoons, life begins to take a turn for the better. As the Sabbath hours approach, work stress begins to fade and a distinct calm settles in. There is liberation from the daily toil, a promise of peace.
From a secular viewpoint, taking a Sabbath’s rest may appear foolish. Why would one choose to give up a day in which to be productive? It might seem like laziness to the uninformed.
From the beginning of time, God built a weekly cycle of rest into our lives. He provided a space in time to simply be with Him. However, this inaugural Sabbath did not come after an exhausting week for Adam and Eve; it was their first full day of life.
God knows that we will be best prepared to take on a week after we have spent significant time in worship and communion with Him. He has set aside 24 hours each week and sanctified them.
In the story we have been following about rebuilding Jerusalem, Nehemiah took some time to return to his job as cupbearer for the king of Babylon. When he came back to Jerusalem some time later, he was terribly distressed to learn that many of his countrymen were working on Sabbath rather than resting as God designed.
Sabbath is not about rules and regulations, dos and don’ts. It is about relationship, rejuvenation and rest. Cynthia Ozick says, “The Sabbath is set apart from routine so that the delights of being alive can be savored without the distractions of noisy demands, jobs, money, and all the strivings of ego. Both power and powerlessness become irrelevant; on the Sabbath equality and dignity rule. Only a life in danger can override the Sabbath’s focus on spiritual and moral elevation through tranquility, fellowship, study, song, beauty, cleanliness, family intimacy. Every festive Sabbath meal is a holiday of thanksgiving. The Sabbath inspires us all to become the best that we can be.”
Sabbath cannot be overrated! If you haven’t been in the habit of celebrating this weekly gift from God, I invite you, this weekend, to set aside your to-do list and discover the delight of Sabbath.
Kathy McMillan, MA
Director, employee spiritual care
Loma Linda University Medical Center