Sep 3 2017 - Priorities - Rest - Five ways to Develop a Rhythm of Rest - by Mike Marette

Lord, we continue to pray for those in Texas who are just starting to recover from Hurricane Harvey and the flooding. So many are helping – and we pray that Christians would stand up and help. Even in the destruction and disaster, use this as an opportunity for people to seek Your love – that somehow, Your name can be glorified even in the destruction. This morning, may Your word echo in our lives. Help us to see You in a new way today.

We are in the second week of priorities – and as we look at living under the easy yoke – I’d like to focus on the priority of rest.

Living under the easy yoke.

Matthew 11: 28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

We will look at two things – first I will give you rest – and then, rest for your souls. We live in an era where people are walking around tired and EXHAUSTED.

We are looking at the Priority of Rest. The Bible – both Old Testament and New Testament emphasizes the importance of rest. Even in the beginning– God created the world in 6 days and then He what? He rested. We are looking to develop and rhythm of work and rest – if wish to be physically healthy and spiritually healthy.

If you are unable to maintain a rhythm of rest – it will be harder to accomplish all of the other priorities in your life.

Everybody loves Psalm 23 – as a pastor, you know you will always win sharing this one…

Psalm 23: 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul;

Here we see these two types of rest – a physical rest – He makes the sheep lie down

Sheep will not lie down, I’m told through my reading, unless all their other concerns are taken care of – and then – He will restore our souls – rest for our souls. The problem for many of us – we are simply unable to rest.

Whether it is physically or maybe emotionally – fear, maybe anxiety – keep our emotions on high alert – so there is little rest. Or it might be guilt – or a sense of judgment – that keep us striving to make us acceptable. Some are unable to cease striving. In our chaotic environment and culture – we are constantly living with things that prevent us from finding real rest. There are things on the news and social media that stir us up that prevent genuine mental, spiritual, and emotional rest from taking place.

If we don’t develop a rhythm of rest, our bodies will eventually be forced to rest – usually through sickness, breakdowns, and crises of faith – and that is not the best way..

5 ways to develop a rhythm of rest

The first is the Sabbath –

Exodus 20:8 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work,

When I read this – I tend to feel guilty and horrible. Today, I want to change our view about this. This is not going to be some legalistic thing. We tend to see the Sabbath as an obligation that we cannot keep, that we constantly fail at - especially in our culture. If we do that, that is the wrong view. We need to learn to see the Sabbath as a gift from God. We cannot work 7 days a week, weeks upon weeks, without our bodies eventually breaking down.

Think of it this way – if your employer came to you and said, “I am giving you an extra week of paid vacation!” How many of you would feel like that is an obligation that you cannot keep? No one – unless something is seriously wrong – most would think – what a gift that would be!

Some of us see a day of rest as completely out of reach. If a day of rest seems out of reach – first – you must gain a proper understanding of what the Sabbath is. As you think of a Sabbath – what comes to mind is what you are allowed or not allowed to do. This is an improper view. We need to change that understanding. That is how the Pharisees viewed it. Sabbath – in its simplest form – is 24 hours where you do not do your job or occupation. It is a little more nuanced than that. I think – maybe it is a day where we do not do those things that provide our livelihood or sustenance. In the ancient world, that meant hunting, farming, taking care of livestock, cooking, going to market, fishing, etc.

Our job is to discern what it is in our world. Today – fishing, except for those who do it for an occupation, has nothing to do with sustenance. For most – it is a waste of four hours on a lake and that is all! It will be different for all of us.

Cindy and I have 4 tomato plants, 2 pepper plants, an eggplant – thanks to Vic. Let me say this – in no way do they provide our livelihood! They are just a treat. If I am out on my day of rest and pick a cherry tomato, I am not HARVESTING. If I water them – all I have to do is to turn on the hose. So I am not really working at that moment.

Instead of thinking ‘what can I do and what can I not do’, maybe a more positive way of thinking of the Sabbath – maybe we should focus on doing activities that refresh, restore, and replenish our bodies and souls and the lives of others. If we look at it that way – that is what a Sabbath is really about in Scripture. – Read Isaiah 57-59! This will vary for different people.

If you sit at a desk job 5 days a week – and your only activity is getting up and going to the water fountain – on your day of rest – the most restorative thing you can do might be doing physical activity. (When this command was given, there was no one who sat around a computer every day!) Doing golfing, going fishing, doing activities might be what your body may need. In their world, they worked to exhaustion – working sunup to sundown. If cutting the grass is restorative to you – then you need counseling! Just kidding. For me, it is an obligation that I dread. So I don’t do that on my day of rest. I plan around that.

If something is stressful, unenjoyable, and an obligation – I would urge you to not include that in your day of rest. Don’t get legalistic about this. I know some who – if stuff isn’t done – there is no way they are resting. Don’t get all legalistic and have the worst day of rest because you are so stressed about what is not getting done. Like the little kid that is standing on the outside but sitting on the inside. They will be resting on the outside, but working overtime on the inside! It takes time. We need to develop a rhythm of rest. We can learn to engage in such a way where we are given – because God has given it – a day of rest.

If that is you – and if you think that is you – there are others that join you – you can begin to change that and develop a rhythm or rest.

Congregational response: How many of you have looked forward to going on vacation – raise your hands! I really set the bar low for our congregational response!

How many of you have experienced stress in getting ready for vacation? It happens to all of us – but what happens? Eventually you get in that car or plane and what wasn’t done is left behind.

What if we viewed our day of rest as a one day vacation?

Remember Fiddler on the Roof – before the Sabbath meal – everyone was rushing around to get everything ready – and then when the sun goes down – they rested. For them – when you work 6 days a week, a day of week was not an obligation, but a vacation.

Like anything – it takes planning – and like a good habit – it takes time to learn to do it consistently and well. Give yourself grace with this – but begin the process of having a day of rest. It doesn’t have to be Sunday. In the Bible – for the most part, it was Saturday. And the calendar changed. But for me – it starts on Friday evening. If that doesn’t work out – find another day. The Jewish Sabbath was not from sunup to sunup – but from sundown to sundown. It doesn’t HAVE to be that way. Our world has changed so much. Many of us remember when NOTHING was open on Sunday.

Here are some possibilities to think about –

First – Expect – and seek to experience – God’s presence. It is not just sitting around watching football! Expect to experience God’s presence.

Second – throughout that day, take some time to contemplate what God is doing in your life. Instead of just letting the day go, focus on God.

Nouwen – “Half of living is reflecting on what is being lived.”

And we – as US Americans – do not do that well – we just keep living and fail to stop and smell the roses. How am I experiencing God in this?

Third - Use the Sabbath as time with family. What I would say – restorative and refreshing time with family. For some, going to the amusement park with family can be the furthest thing from a Sabbath! I don’t think we should limit it – for everyone it may be different.

Fourth – physical activity that restores your body – kayaking – going on a walk – things that relax you.

I have a son who relaxes by running 6 miles at a 6 minute per mile pace. For me – that would not be relaxing – it would KILL me! But if that is the thing that relaxes your body…

Second – after Sabbath – is sleep. On a Sabbath – a really good habit – if you are not able to get enough sleep during the week – if possible – sleep in –

Psalm 127:2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.

Rising early and going to bed late – it is vanity – and yes, there are times even Jesus stayed up – but usually – it is vanity. For those of us with poor sleep habits – and for some, there are sleep disorders.

Sleep plays a critical role, and many are in a sleep crisis, living with sleep deprivation and it is literally killing people. We need to develop healthy sleep habits.

From Margins - Many people don’t sleep well simply because they don’t have good sleep habits.

Develop a healthy pattern of sleep – similar times in going to bed and waking up.

Quiet room and good mattress

Don’t engage in heated discussions before bed. (or engage in disturbing social media before bed).

Give yourself time to unwind.

Don’t have a big meal within two hours.

I think the key here is habit. One thing we did well – we had a bedtime routine when we had small children – and yes, there are exceptions, but for most the time, we had a healthy routine – especially for toddlers.

“The best cure for insomnia is to get enough sleep” – WC Fields – some wise advice

When insomnia strikes, don’t panic. Don’t become anxious if you can’t sleep.

What can become a crisis is your reaction.

Every now and then – for me – I get that – every once in a while, I think - if I don’t sleep tonight – and I become anxious.

“Nothing retards sleep like panic”

Trying to force yourself to sleep is the surest way of preventing sleep.

Sleep is one of the few things in life that cannot be improved upon by working harder.

I know this is hard for us – but it is a crisis in our culture. For us – it is a crisis – because of our culture and the way it is set up.

Third – learn to take retreats:

Luke 5:16 But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

Occasionally we need a couple hours or an afternoon alone. It doesn’t have to be weekly – but it should be occasionally – we need extended time alone to focus on God and our lives.

It would be wonderful to experience a week alone at a place like this monastery in Greece – it isn’t going to happen for any of us – but we have parks, gardens, porches – and we CAN learn that we all need some time – where we can get alone and focus on God.

Matthew 6:6 "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

We need to learn to retreat to our inner room – it might be your inner automobile! But each of us needs time like this. Each of us needs an inner room somewhere – you might even find one at your workplace.

4^th – Learn to slow down. No one wants to wait for anything these days. They pre-release everything – so you feel like you beat the clock – but alas, it is just a marketing technique.

Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait for the LORD's help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles' wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired.

Those who learn to slow down accomplish more.

John Ortberg’s mentor told him: John, you must ruthlessly remove hurry from your life.

Ruthlessly remove HURRY from your life – get it out – it will only destroy you!

And there are all kinds of ways we get in these hurry modes. Some of the simplest things – I find myself impatient about something – and I ask, why am I impatient about this? Does this really matter?

Slowing down is necessary to be attentive to the Holy Spirit.

I think one practical thing to do – have a time of reflection and contemplation every day. For me it is at nighttime. Take 5-10 minutes to examine yourself – the events of the day – God’s activity in your day. It is so beneficial. It is the most helpful thing – I urge you all to do it – you can find that time.

And fifth – Be still (I like to say, Shut up! But that is not nice!)

Psalm 62: 1 My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.

That does not mean just not talking but shutting things off.

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Today there was a headline – North Korea did their biggest nuclear test to date – but God is saying – be still and know that I am God.

Silence is not just about not saying anything – it is about shutting everything else off.

Silence begins with the expectation of encountering God. Be still – because – remember Elijah – the big rushing wind – and the storm – and then the silence? And it is in the silence where God spoke.

Silence can make us uncomfortable.

“Observing silence is not only about finding peace and quiet in a noisy world…that is part of it – but even more

It is discovering that God speaks in the silence

Silence releases me to be myself before God and Pour out my heart in confession, worry, shame and whatever else I might be carrying.

Silence allows me to appreciate God in a new way and a depth of intimacy that may make me uncomfortable.”

God has so much work to do inside of us. His deepest work still needs to take place – even if you’ve been following Him for 50 years. And it is in silence that some of the deepest work takes place. God’s deepest work is yet to come… You know when the deepest work will take place? The deepest work will take place when you stand before Him. He will go so deep into you that it will reshape who we are.

We must understand that now, as the years go by, He has deeper things to do in us – and we need to stop and let Him. On that day – we will be judged – and when He appears, we will be transformed to be like Him. At that moment – we will be transformed into His image and that means a lot of stuff will get ripped out – just pulled out from us and that is a good thing – a great thing – all the junk will be gone – and God starts that now. Wouldn’t you like to have all that junk gone? The worst of it? Pulled out from inside of us. And we can begin that process now so that when we get to heaven it is just a continuation of what was started.