Shabbat in the Modern World: Rediscovering God’s Peace
Ezekiel 7-8; 2 Corinthians 9; Proverbs 17
Peace cannot be overrated. To live in peace within ourselves, with our God, with one another… what could be more important?
I’m thinking back to the time our family spent in Israel several years ago. I had the incredible opportunity to host a prayer gathering outside of Jerusalem, and to prepare, our family spent 6 weeks in Jerusalem. It was a powerful time for all of us.
What stood out to me then, while we were there, and maybe even more now as I reminisce, is Shabbat. From sundown Friday night till the first three stars appear in the night sky on Saturday evening, everything shuts down. And I mean everything. No stores are open. No cars are driven. The city, although set against an ancient backdrop, normally carries the sounds and sights of any city – horns honking and traffic. But not on Shabbat. A tangible peace, a felt quiet, rolls in and we are, corporately, covered in His Shalom, His peace.
On Saturday, those normal bustling city sounds are replaced with laughter and joy in the city parks. Families gather for picnics, and there’s a sense of covenant community. In truth, it’s beautiful.
As a family, we started to look forward to this weekly reprieve. No phones. No answering emails. No work. We realized that we had never really understood or obeyed God’s command to rest, to keep a Sabbath.
I believe Israel’s greatest export is Shabbat. To choose rest when you are up against the deadline, to choose peace, is an act of worship.
Father, thank you for commanding us to rest. Bring us into more and more understanding of how to lean into your command and invitation.
Today, in our reading, these verses stood out to me.
Proverbs 17 1 Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.
Our homes, our churches, our friendships, should be places of peace. Jesus Himself is our Prince of Peace. His home, His dwelling place, is called to be a place of permanent Shabbat. He has finished His work, once and for all, and invites us into His Sabbath.
This means that whatever we do, whatever our role as we gather, must come… gets to come from that place of peace. There is no striving. No strife! We must not allow it. We must not allow it in our hearts, we must not allow it in our homes, and we must not allow it in our churches.
If preparing the feast leaves you flustered and anxious and angry, leave it. Better to have a dry morsel with quiet. Let’s all keep choosing the better thing in Jesus. Surely, it will not be taken away from us.
Deepening Faith: Reflective Journal Prompts
- Reflect on your own practices of rest and peace. How do you currently observe a time of Sabbath in your life? What could you change or introduce to deepen this practice?
- Think about the concept of Shabbat as an act of worship and trust in God. How does choosing rest over work, especially during busy times, challenge or affirm your faith?
- Recall a time when your home or a gathering was marked more by strife than peace. What were the consequences, and how could a pursuit of peace have altered the outcome?
- Proverbs 17:1 prioritizes peace over feasting with strife. Consider areas in your life where you might be choosing the ‘feast’ (busyness, ambition, material gain) at the cost of peace. How can you shift towards valuing peace more highly?
- Jesus invites us into His finished work and eternal Sabbath. How does this invitation impact your understanding of rest? How can you more fully enter into the peace and rest that Jesus offers?
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