Sabbath: Escaping the Drift (Sabbath I)

When I was little, my family would vacation at a beautiful Gulf Coast beach in Florida. We’d first set up our yellow umbrella on the sand before hitting the water, jumping into the waves and looking out for jellyfish. As I got older, my parents would let me stay in the water by myself, and it was heaven learning to body-surf the waves. Many times, when I was ready to get out, I’d look up at the beach, expecting to see that yellow umbrella. Confusion. Disorientation. Where am I? Finally, I’d spot the umbrella and realize where I was, having drifted a hundred, a hundred-and-fifty, sometimes two hundred yards down the beach. I’d been caught in a drift the whole time and never realized it. I’d been pushed down the beach with no awareness that I was being pushed.

That’s just like life. It’s so easy, buffeted as we are by the waves of life, to slip away from an awareness of God’s nearness and goodness. Away from a life focused on making present the kingdom of God for others. Away from the practice of asking, “Jesus, what are you speaking to me?” and responding. The drift is just a part of life, and it’s not going away.

But God knew this, and he gives his people a way to counteract it. The practices of unhurriedness and silence are ways of stepping out of the drift, but a further critical practice for establishing The Slow Life—and thus avoiding the drift—is the practice of Sabbath. Sabbath is a period of time dedicated to withdrawing from the normal activities of life and work in order to come back to our spiritual center, which is the place where we connect with God. Scripture takes Sabbath seriously because without Sabbath, it can become very difficult to remain centered in God. Without Sabbath, we will likely find ourselves swept down the beach.

To the Hebrews, Sabbath was a twenty-four hour period that lasted from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday. During this period, they rested, celebrated life, and gave thanks to God.

We read about Sabbath from the very beginning. It is established in the second chapter of the Bible: “On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all His work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.”[1]

When Israel was established as a nation, they were told to keep the Sabbath as a holy day: “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God.”[2]

The prophet Isaiah celebrates Sabbath as a sign of God’s future blessing, not only over Israel but also for the Gentiles.[3] The writer of Hebrews in the New Testament uses the idea of Sabbath as a metaphor to describe the spiritual rest that God’s children are to enjoy.[4] In his classic book on Sabbath, rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel writes that, to this day, Jews receive the Sabbath as one would receive a queen. Sabbath, he writes, is an “architectures of holiness” that finds its place not in space, but in time.[5]

The Scripture is clear and consistent: God gives rest. God has rest for his people. And God has rest for you.

You may believe that, but are you able to receive that? Are you able to understand that your longing for rest—not just physically, but emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually, amidst all of the storms of life—is a reflection of God’s own deep and compassionate longing for you?

Just as with the practice of silence, Sabbath makes us confront our unbelief and our inadequate views of God. Remember that what drives The Human Paradigm is a misshapen view of God—namely, the belief that God is angry or ambivalent or absent altogether. You cannot rest if you worship an angry God, or a God who doesn’t care, or a God who’s not there at all. Sabbath is about exposing all those views of God so that, in being exposed, they can be torn down and replaced with a new understanding, guided by the Spirit of God.[6] Indeed, in Sabbath we create space for the Holy Spirit to bring us into this reality of the beautiful God whom our souls cannot help but love and worship. By this work, the Holy Spirit brings us out of the chains of our misshapen beliefs and into freedom; you cannot fully rest until your soul is content in God. Scripture points to the reality that one of our clearest expressions of trusting God is rest.[7] Trust, in a very real, sense, is rest. We become our best selves, most open to God, when we are rested.

Thus, Sabbath is about learning to rest well. It’s also about coming to see who God really is in a way that renews you at the core of your being. This is the purpose of Sabbath as presented in the book of Deuteronomy. God tells his people to “observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” and then tells them that the purpose of Sabbath is to remind themselves who God is and what He does for His people: “Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.”[8] In other words, through keeping Sabbath, God’s people will stay out of the drift of forgetfulness and will instead remain grounded in their knowledge of God’s character and love. Sabbath will keep them anchored in the reality that God is good and near and that He always leads his children out of bondage.

[1] Genesis 2:2-3.

[2] Exodus 20:8-10.

[3] See Isaiah 56:2-8. Gentiles meaning those who are not of the nation of Israel, the Chosen People. Even they will be “grafted in,” as prophesied here and as Paul will later explain it. See Romans 11:11-31.

[4] See Hebrews 4:9-11.

[5] See The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, NY. 1951.

[6] See John 16:13.

[7] Cf. Exodus 14:14, Isaiah 30:15, Psalm 131, Hebrews 4:11, and so on.

[8] Deuteronomy 5:12,15.

A Transforming Practice of Silence

Here is one practical how-to for engaging silence. There are many such practices out there. If this one helps you, use it; if not, a little research will uncover many gems used by followers of Jesus over many centuries.

First of all, sit comfortably and relax your body. Then focus on your breath, inhaling deeply as you remember that God’s Spirit is as near to each of us as our own breath.[1] Notice your breathing and continue to relax. Practice the instruction of Psalm 37:7: “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.”

As you do this, here are some things to remember:

·      It’s okay for your mind to wander. Trust that the Spirit is at work as you create space to encounter him, even if you aren’t aware of it at first. Notice if your mind wanders and then simply redirect yourself back to your breathing. If your mind begins to drift elsewhere, into anxiety or into thoughts about yesterday or what you have to do after this, don’t berate yourself. Just notice it and turn back to your breathing, remembering again that God is as near to you as your own breath.

·      It may be helpful to ground your body in silence by asking questions which engage your senses. I often ask, "What do I hear?" and I listen to the noises around me, naming each thing. I do that with every sense: "What do I see?" "What do I taste?" "What do I smell?" "What do I feel?" By asking these questions, you can bring yourself into contact you’re your body, which can help your mind focus and relax. After you ask and answer these questions, simply sit and continue attending to your breathing.

·      You may have to confront your fears that God isn’t really with you. If you feel tension or resistance to silence, it probably means you are doing something right! Coming into God’s presence will often make you pass through your false and limiting belief’s about Him.

·      Silence may make you aware of pains that you have been avoiding. One of the hardest tasks of a disciple is to divorce his/her experience of pain and suffering from their view of the character of God. Listen for the voice of God’s Spirit, which is with you despite of and in the midst of life’s pain.

·      See if you can start identifying the voices in your head—your own anxiety or fear, for example. Ask, can you hear the whisper of Jesus’ Spirit? Seek to identify and label these different voices and then hone in on the voice of Jesus.

·      Keep breathing slowly, and practice solitude and silence until you find that your body and mind seem at rest together.

·      Prayer goes beyond words, so realize that you are in prayer even if you aren’t saying anything. In fact, it may stall you to come into solitude and silence and then immediately start filling the space with words. Instead, let silence be your prayer. You will ultimately discover that God is speaking—and so is your own soul—even if you aren’t moving your mouth at all. At the same time, you can anchor your silence and solitude with spoken prayer, such as praying through the Lord’s Prayer. Or, after pausing to slow down and breathe, choose a centering word, such as “Jesus” or “Abba,” speaking this word as a prayer to God.

·      Don’t get fixated on time. Even two minutes (or thirty seconds) of quiet prayer can be transformative!

·      It may be helpful to end your time by giving thanks for how God is with you and how He is shaping you. When you are done, simply say “Amen,” and approach what’s next in the confidence that God is with you and that His Kingdom “is within you.”[2]

A practice of silence like this will create space for the work of God’s Spirit within you. And it will become the basis for a life grounded in Scripture and prayer, all of which will help empower you for a life of loving others in Jesus’ name.

To make this practice become a consistent habit, you may need to make some life changes. You might need to adjust your calendar, going to bed early so that you can get up earlier. Ultimately, because our soul wants limits instead of constant stimulation, your spirit will love these changes. We are actually more productive when we have solitude and silence rather than we are when we’re being slaves to the “can’t stop, got to be productive” mentality. Our best productivity is actually born from a place of rest and quiet, not from unceasing activity.

[1] The Greek word pneuma, used for spirit in the New Testament, can also mean “wind” or “breath.”

[2] Luke 17:21.

A Both-And from the Sermon on the Mount (Silence X)

Jesus seems to indicate two general ways in which we will find silence for our souls. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus invites us out of worry and anxiety and into bringing our full selves to God, who loves us and is enough for each day that we face.[1] Jesus’ master homily provides us with some helpful grounding thoughts as we seek to practice silence. As he invites into abundant life, Jesus tells us not only to “go into our prayer closets,” but also to “consider the lilies of the field.”[2] These different places represent two different ways of strengthening our connection with God through silence. One means sharpening our focus through limiting our senses and the other means sharpening our focus by fully immersing our senses. Both of these approaches can lead to a deeper awareness of God’s goodness.

Going into a closet to pray represents placing yourself somewhere where you can focus without distraction. Where might that be for you? Put your smartphone away and place your body in a comfortable position that communicates your own longing response to God’s longing for you—kneeling, perhaps. Then engage a prayer exercise or pray slowly through the Lord’s Prayer (also, not surprisingly, from the Sermon on the Mount).[3]

But again, Jesus doesn’t just tell us to pray in our prayer closet; he also directs us to place ourselves where we can encounter his goodness through the world around us. How else can you “look at the birds of the air” or “consider the lilies of the field?” I practice “looking” and “considering” by walking early in the morning, which helps me tune into the whisper of God’s Spirit. When I take my daughter on her morning walk (so that my wife can get some much-needed and well-deserved sleep), I not only get to be in nature while I’m caring for my daughter, but I also have time and space to be quiet in a way that brings me back to my center, where I can meet with God. I usually pray with words during this time, but I often start by simply saying, “Father” (the first word of the Lord’s Prayer), and then being quiet as I walk. As I seek to tune into God’s goodness, the ordering of thoughts that usually follows is amazing. It’s amazing, the way God’s Spirit seems to literally speak through the wind in the trees. I may continue to pray through the phrases of the Lord’s prayer, but I make sure to go nice and slow, leaving plenty of space for God to commune with me—whether I am fully aware of how that is happening or not.

Of course, in the next season of life, even a few months from now, my daughter will be older and this rhythm of life will be literally outgrown. That’s why we must be creative, always adjusting to new seasons of life while maintaining our commitment to unhurriedness and silence so that we don’t drift too far from ourselves and from the hand of our Father. The goal, always, is not to practice solitude and silence for their own sake, but rather to practice connecting with God and putting our hand in His. This is what empowers us to live as disciples and to live our lives for others. While I seek to stay in the spirit of prayer all day, I exit these specific moments of prayer by asking, “Jesus, help me love as you do this day” and “What are we up to together?”

Find the rhythm that works for you and approach silence seeking to encounter the movements of “grace within me,” grounding you in adoption, as well as “grace through me,” an empowering to love others.

[1] Matthew 5-7.

[2] Matthew 6:6 and Matthew 6:28.

[3] For more on the Lord’s Prayer, see “A Practical Order for Daily Prayer” in ‘Chapter 12: Prayer.’