My Sabbath Musings: Finding Rest

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My soul, wait silently for God alone,

For my expectation is from Him.

He only is my rock and my Salvation;

He is my defense;

I shall not be moved.

In God is my salvation and my glory;

The rock of my strength,

And my refuge, is in God.

- Psalm 62:5-7

If it is possible,

as much as it depends on you,

live peaceably with all men.

- Romans 12:18

Shabbat Shalom.

It is a Friday evening, another week has come to an end.

The greeting literally means, "Have a peaceful Sabbath." 

Or better still, I would interpret it this way: May the peace of God be upon you on this Sabbath day as you cease from all labor and find rest in Him alone.

How beautiful and meaningful that greeting is! 

Indeed, there is a sense of peace that comes when we observe this special appointed time that God has ordained for His people.

For over a year now, I have been observing the Friday sundown to Saturday sundown Sabbath rest. Not in an orthodox Jewish kind of way, but just an awareness that this twenty-four hour period is God's design for me to cease from work, and give my body, soul, and spirit an opportunity to recover, gain a fresh perspective, adjust and re-calibrate my bearings.

Because of varying schedules, no one in my family is available to have a regular Sabbath meal with me...

But that has not prevented me from observing Sabbath my own way... On my own, I can be aware of the significance of this day.

A day for finding rest, and reminding myself that my hope, and my expectations, come from God alone...

for speaking blessings to every member of my household...

for asking Abba Father for a new sense of direction....

for de-cluttering my heart, getting rid of excess baggage...

for ministering to Abba, and letting Him minister to me.

A lifestyle of Sabbath rest delivers me from the prison of the mundane and the predictable and lifts me up to the higher level of new possibilities... a new way of seeing.

And tonight as I write these words, I sense the Lord speaking to my heart about servanthood.

Not out of compulsion, or any other ulterior motive, but the genuine willingness to serve another. 

I arrived here in Manila a week ago to spend some time with my daughter. 

The truth is, we hardly see each other because of her heavy work schedule. Nevertheless there are many things to be thankful for.

The sense of togetherness and being connected is strong.

We eat a light dinner together when she gets home from work, partake of Holy Communion, then listen to soft worship music as we prepare to sleep.

The weather from early evening to early morning is pleasantly cool. With the windows open, the gentle breeze keeps the room very comfortable. When morning comes, we hear the sound of birds chirping outside the window. 

When we go down, breakfast is already on the table, and her lunch bag waiting by the front door, all lovingly prepared by her efficient maid.

I just love the sense of order that I have felt the past few days.

We went to Victory Church QC last Sunday and were blessed by the anointed preaching of Pastor Edgar... simple, down to earth, but life-giving. When Pastor Edgar shares the word of God, he does so without drawing attention to himself. One senses his deep desire to communicate the truth and to impart life.

The message I get is that Pastor Edgar is a humble servant of God. 

It is the same feeling I get when I think of what my daughter's maid does for us.

In many homes there are domestic helpers who earn a living this way. They come from poor families in the rural areas, and to have free meals plus a place to stay while receiving a monthly income are good incentives for them. But it works both ways. The help they give is so valuable.

Aiza, our maid, is happy to be of service to us... keeping the home and surroundings clean... preparing meals... doing the laundry... always with a smile. She has been with us for several years already.

She serves with gladness.

It is the kind of attitude God is looking for.

Have this attitude in yourselves

which was also in Christ Jesus,

who although He existed in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

a thing to be grasped,

but emptied Himself,

taking the form of a bond-servant...

- Philippians 2:5-7

Jesus Himself said:

But Jesus called them to Him and said,

"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,

and their great ones exercise authority over them.

It shall not be so among you.

But whoever would be great among you

must be your servant,

and whoever would be first among you 

must be your slave,

even as the Son of Man came

not to be served but to serve,

and to give his life as a ransom for many."

- Matthew 20:25-27

And Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, writes:

For you were called to freedom, brothers.

Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh,

but through love serve one another.

- Galatians 5:13

True greatness... true freedom... they come when we through love serve another.

My life is enriched when, like Jesus, I choose to live as a servant of another... willingly... gladly.

How beautiful relationships can be when servanthood is in the picture. Brother, sister, let me be your servant; let me be as Christ to you.

This attitude removes jealousy, competition, grumbling, fault-finding, striving, contention, people-pleasing, self-focus... from the equation.

An attitude of servanthood enables me to replace those negatives with acceptance, opens my eyes to see the other as valuable, makes me willing to extend a helping hand.

But genuine servanthood can only be offered together with compassion and humility. Otherwise, the condescension results in a superficial act that wounds, instead of heals, the relationship.

I will hold the Christ light for you

In the night time of your fear

I will hold my hand out to you

Speak the peace you long to hear...

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Abba Father, this Sabbath teach me what it means to make those Bible passages on servanthood a living reality in my life. 

Serving others in whatever way I can, without keeping a list of the good things I have done, or looking at it as a favor for which I expect to be paid back.

Let the serving be done in humility, and in kindness, above all... in love.

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