Grant us a place in your rest.
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
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The seventh day, the Sabbath (Saturday) was made special by God. He had finished his work, and rested. The concept of a Sabbath rest goes right through the Bible – from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22.
History (and life) is full of toil. From digging in the crops to carving delicate patterns on the Temple doors people are given something to do with our time. We have to work for a living.
When Adam was thrown out of the Garden of Eden he was told “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground;” Life stopped being restful and Adam was told he would have to work for a living.
If we look at health advice, we are often told to slow down a bit, to stop living a stressful life. Stress is a big problem and can lead to all sort of problems including heart disorders and nervous breakdowns. So why do people do it?
There's lots of possible reasons. Perhaps you'd like to think of a few.
We live in a mechanised world. Life should be easy, yet if anything the problems are worse. The modern world is hectic.
God passed laws to Moses about how servants shouldn't be forced to work on the sabbath. They were due a day of rest. But do we allow ourselves time to rest? Instead of putting our feet up, we get on with jobs around the house (or even write these notes!)
But God has promised a time of rest – when Jesus' kingdom is established. We hope we will be told that we have earned our rest.