Sabbath and Safe Place
Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! Psalm 4:1
As my summer sabbatical comes to a close, what I’ve continued to come back to is the Lord is my refuge and my safest place. He holds all the knowledge of who I am: the best of me and the worst of me. Yet, He still chooses to faithfully guide me in His grace and pull me through the valleys with His mercy.
The beginning of this summer left my heart shattered into pieces as we buried my beloved grandfather. His life was one marked by the redemption and grace God so graciously offers us. As I’ve sat in the grief and all the questions that come along with it, I have had no choice but to trust that God is faithful even though His timing makes no sense to me.
This new reality and reminder of how quickly life changes, has given a new way the Holy Spirit has invited me to go deeper with Jesus. The deeper relationship has shown me how valuable sabbath is and the steadiness it offers us.
Psalm 3:7-8 and Psalm 4:1-5 we see the heart of God be called upon over and over as the One who can deliver. The One who will make all things right, and the One who sustains us as we journey out our walking with Him. As I leaned in with a heart more intentional to see what God was doing in the life of the one who wrote these Psalms, I saw that I, too, am given this same opportunity. I can (and will) call on God over and over again. He will make things right, and He will sustain me through this journey till I meet Him face-to-face in eternity.
I have seen this in my own life, but I also see it repeated through scripture, those who seek God’s heart, desire His will, and love Him fully, will be shadowed by His wings. We will be taken care of. He will offer us rest and peace. Great is His faithfulness that we will see poured out over our lives and the lives of those around us.
Will you pray with me?
Father, I pray you are evident in my life to those around me. Help me honor your invitation of sabbath. Guide me in your grace, pull me through the pits in your mercy, and mark me by the gift of your Salvation. Make me more like you, everyday in every way. In Jesus’ name, amen.
