Summer of Depth Devotional Day 51

Today is Day 51 of our Summer of Depth Devotional and Reading Plan.

Sometimes we can think about Sabbath as something that is mostly about us. Our rest. Our peace. Our chance to recover.

But Isaiah 58 gives us a bigger picture. God connects our life with Him to the way we actually treat the people around us. Apparently, a life that slows down with God should eventually change the way we see and love others.

Let’s seek him in a deeper way right now.

Before anything else, slow down and read: Isaiah 58:6-14.

The larger conversation in Isaiah 58 begins with people who are fasting and seeking God, but they can't understand why God seems unimpressed by it.

The problem isn't that fasting is bad. The problem is that their religious practices haven't changed the way they're living.

God points to injustice, oppression, hunger, and people without clothing or shelter. His people are practicing devotion while overlooking people right in front of them. They have made space for a religious activity without making much space for mercy.

Then, near the end of the chapter, Isaiah turns toward Sabbath.

God tells His people to stop pursuing their own interests on His holy day and to “call the Sabbath a delight.”

A delight.

That's an interesting word for a command to stop.

Sabbath isn't meant to produce people who are simply better rested, although that’s part if it. God is forming people who experience rest in Him because their attention has been reordered. People who can delight in Him, notice what He notices, and become more available to the needs around them.

Isaiah describes that kind of life as “a watered garden” and “a spring whose water never runs dry.”

That's a beautiful picture of what can happen when our lives are no longer running on empty. God's restoration begins to overflow.

Maybe that's one way to know whether our slowing down is actually forming us. Over time, are we becoming more present? More generous? More patient? More aware of the person in front of us?

Sabbath gives us space to receive from God, but what He gives was never meant to end with us.

Reflect:

As you make room for Sabbath this week, ask…am I becoming more present? More generous? More patient? More aware of the person in front of me?