No one told me this outright, but from an early age I felt that if I stopped doing good things, bad things would happen. On a big and small scale, this seemed to be the way the world worked, at least, I’d perceived it that way. I reasoned that since the world naturally flows toward disorder, my intervention was necessary to hold back the inevitable chaos. Thus began my love affair with productivity. My necessary intervention could range from tackling the mounting pile of dishes in the sink or clothes in the laundry basket, to the gripping fear I feel when I read Edmund Burke’s warning, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” I mean, I can’t do nothing!
Productivity is attractive because it feels so reasonable and responsible and grown up. Are we not stewards of God’s creation? Aren’t we doing what God designed us to do by being in constant motion? My heart was drawn to the siren’s call of productivity, but since this heart of mine is also more deceitful than anything else (Jeremiah 17:9), I soon found myself in a dilemma. (Does any of this sound familiar?)
Did God really know what He was asking when He commanded His people to observe the Sabbath, even making it one of the Ten Commandments? Is this really what He intended:
“You are to labor six days and do all your work,
but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.
You must not do any work” (Exodus 20:9–10).
Early on as I read the Old Testament and saw the countless times Israel refused to observe the Sabbath, even with the threat of severe consequences (Jeremiah 17:23), I wondered, How hard can it be to just stop and do nothing?
I now see that God’s command to rest on the Sabbath is really a command to trust Him and live out the blessing of being His dependent child. My posture should be that of Jeremiah: “Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise” (v.14). Like Judah’s rejection of the Sabbath, my own refusal to rest shows my fear of trusting Him, of being needy, and my unwillingness to admit that I am ignorant of what is best for me. Resting is not so easy after all.
However, Jesus has done the unimaginable by taking the curse for our stiff-necked defiance, and instead has given us the rest and assurance that we belong to our Heavenly Father when we receive His gift of grace. Now, we are able to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water” (Hebrews 10:22). We are now free to rest and “proclaim [His] love in the morning and [His] faithfulness at night,” (Psalm 92:2). We are free to enjoy our work as we revel in “all the great things He has done” for us (1 Samuel 12:24).
We are free.
Resting is hardly passive; it is making space to remember and really consider His goodness and faithfulness, and then proclaiming it to others, singing our praise unto Him. This is what my heart truly longs for.
Brooke Kocher is a wife and mother of three. She is a Southern girl at heart and a recent transplant to the Pacific Northwest.
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53 thoughts on "Curse and Blessing"
Lord help me to Sabbath. Forgive me when I don’t trust you. Help me to trust you.
I’m behind in reading this in the app but this is so timely with what is going on in the world. We are being told
To be still and stay put to help stop
Disease spread and people are fearful instead and running around fighting
Against the rest.
I fight rest so much in my life as well. There is trauma that hasn’t been healed and I’m still living in that when there is quiet my mind and heart ache and hurt. So I keep moving to avoid feeling the deep hurts
Praying for rest and to let go and let God in to heal
What a beautiful and challenging devotion. I too find it so hard to stop and rest, and even if my body is resting my mind certainly isn’t. I love the idea of biblical rest being about “making space to remember and really consider His goodness and faithfulness.” It’s not doing nothing. It’s actually incredibly intentional and takes discipline, but brings joy and delight! God knows what we need, hey. Praying that we all learn to trust him that little bit more today!
Resting is just trusting in Him – I’d never thought of it that way before. I know I try to try to trust in Him but it can still be difficult for me because I have no idea what the future holds and like today’s lesson said, it feels like I always need to be doing something. Today’s lesson reminds me to take a step back, appreciate His goodness and everything He has done for me so far and trust in Him for the future.
,
One of my goals this year is to use times of rest more purposefully. You really hit the nail on the head of what resting is supposed to be all about. THAT’S what I want my rest to look like. Instead passive resting in social media or TV/Netflix, I want to change my habits of rest so that I am truly resting in God and what He has done for me. Right now I am trying to be more intentional about using times of rest through regularly journaling and prayer, and putting my mind to Him. It is very much a work in progress.
Such a good reminder! Sabbath and rest is so important and hard to do in our busy world. So many nuggets in today’s Bible reading and in the devotional. To Sabbath is a posture of our hearts and it can look differently for each believer. Praise God for Jesus who did away with the law and we can now draw near with full assurance of faith!
Tina, hello my friend? It is me, B. My browser won’t let me reply directly to you.
It is so good to see you here. I’ve missed this daily routine in the early hours and all of you wonderful women. How are you? I’m sure I’ve missed so much.
Keeping the Sabbath is resting in Him. It’s a matter of the heart not an item on a to do list to be checked off and feel like an accomplishment and a pat on the back. At least that’s the way I believe sometimes I feel sitting in church. Listening intently to the sermon and all of a sudden thinking about organizing my closet. Or praising with a song and all of a sudden finding myself looking at the person in front of me and thinking about how nice her new haircut looks. I know I can get so easily distracted whether at church or home. I have realized that for me distractions are the reasons that I don’t always find that rest in Him. And sometimes it’s intentional because resting in Him might show me things I’d rather ignore. God is a Holy God❤️
What a reading to start the work/school week! Since I can remember, I’ve left it to Sunday’s to catch up from the week before and get a head start on the week upcoming. Sunday’s were my day to labor hard so that my weeks would be easier. Though I mainly mean homework when I think of this (I’m in college), God’s command to save one specific day a week to recognize his holiness and reflect on our lives still applies. I can’t imagine doing nothing on Sunday’s because I’ve had this routine down for so long and am taking an extra course load this semester…Lord, I pray that you open my eyes to your goodness and your commands. I wish to observe you more on the sabbath and reflect upon this wonderful life you have given me. Help me to manage my time so that your day is truly meant for you in my mind and heart. I pray that I learn to trust in you fully and live a life for you. Amen
I always feel “off” if I don’t attend church and I think it just really centres me and prepares me for the week ahead. I feel like while I’m “resting”, I am putting on Gods armour and preparing myself.
One of my favorite verses that God has spoken to me through and I now see in His command to rest on the Sabbath in a different light,
“Be still and know that I am God.” Rest in Him. Trust in him. Just Be still! God will take over and do all the work if we would only rest in Him.
As I sat reading this this morning I struggled to get through the first few verses before my brain ran off and starting thinking about how I could get all need to do today done in the most efficient way. I’m observing lent by going off social media to make more time to lean into God, but lately with uni having started back up it feels like I’m replacing social media with productivity (which in all honestly had been GREAT) but this reading really convicted me that I need to again use this time to FOCUS ON GOD and rest with him!
Tina, Churchmouse, Angie and Paula Kline love what you said, it hit home.
Sara Terry and Kelsea Baumgarten, I admire you for being stay at home moms (which in itself is a job) but you are right there are a few things that have to be done on the Sabbath. I’m a nurse and I would have to work on Sundays for over half of my careeer because of my occupation. So no I don’t think it’s a sin to do certain small things that are necessary on the Sabbath.
I love this. I think I need to try something like this!
I am exactly the same here – it’s so easy to get caught up with everything else!
Hello,
This is the first time I have taken part in the reading plans here. I have been looking for something that I could do daily and where I can be held accountable by comments. My desire this year is to make more time for reading the bible and deepening my relationship with God – hopefully you don’t mind helping me and challenging me!
I’m a primary school teacher so the idea of resting is a big one for me. I always have a huge to do list and am responsible for so many things – if I don’t stay organised they simply won’t get done which affects the children. Today I have felt particularly full and with a big to do list so what a challenge for me to be given this passage to read – a welcome challenge!
It made me realise that a) I can’t do it all on my own and b) I need to make time for God. Jeremiah 17:7-8 really spoke to me today. I want to be that person. I want to trust in the Lord whole-heartedly and not fear when the heat comes, have no worries in drought and never fail to bear fruit. To do that, I definitely can’t do it on my own and spending time with God needs to be a priority.
My husband and I have been making a point to try and keep the sabbath. I have really seen how restful it has been for him especially. We have been god about saying no to certain things on the sabbath, but we haven’t been saying yes to the right things. For example, we go to church, but when I have down time at home, I could do more praying and less watching tv. Sometimes it isn’t just saying no to certain things, but yes to better things as well.
A few years ago I stumbled across Shelly Miller’s Sabbath Society. She teaches and shares about Sabbath Rest. I love her writing. She has a book called Rhythms of Rest. You can google her or Sabbath Society. I’m sorry I don’t know how to put a link here. I subscribe to her email. It comes twice a week and it helps remind me so I’m better at remembering.
“The person who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed IS the Lord, is blessed.” (17:7) My confidence IS the Lord. Yes, I trust IN the Lord, but I must make the Lord my Hope.
I am such a literal person, so when I heard that the sabbath was a day of rest, I have actually worked on making one of my weekend days completely for rest. It’s not always possible – and I can feel the weight when I miss it – but I feel like God truly has set rules and guidelines for us be cause He KNOWS us! I think I find it so easy to remember that the Sabbath is not a power-move, for God to enforce His authority, but a life move in order for us to live optimally!
Betsy…,~B, is that you? Is that you dear dear friend.??? I have missed seeing you here… hope all is well and that the family is good.. love and hugs to you and yours…❤❤
Oh this one really hit home today! After a very busy weekend of doing Girl Scout activities (I’m my older daughter’s troop leader), I am wiped out! I am off work today, but have a mile long to do list to catch up on, yet my body keeps telling me I need rest. About a year or two ago, I tried to maintain Sundays as a rest day. Go to church and Sunday School, make an easy lunch and dinner, take a nap, play games with my kids, work on a hobby. It was wonderful. But then activities and running children to events crept back in, as well as feeling the need to catch up on things I didn’t get done throughout the week. I know I need to implement more rest and take my Sundays back as a recovery day, not a make-up day. My body and my mind keep telling me this, and with this devotional God is telling me too! And it is not just about resting and being still. I can totally relate to Brooke’s realization that it has to do with trusting God. I feel the need to make sure I do everything the certain way I want it done, rather than letting it wait or asking for help. But I need to lean more on God, realizing that He is in control, and that I don’t have to carry that heavy load all on my own.
Me too Angie!
I am prayerfully learning to observe the sabbath. It is not easy to simply rest, but I like what someone said about having a vacation day…I really need to learn how to wind down, and God knows I wont be going on vaca anytime soon. So He has given me reason to Selah! God is sooo Good!
I am at a place of just longing to be rooted so deeply in my Father and not in my own abilities and productivity. Oh Lord I do pray – have your way in me!
As a mom , it is hard for me to discern what is a burden to give up on Sabbath and what is being a good steward of my family . For example , yesterday((Sunday) I did my standard personal “goal” of cleaning for 45 minutes each day . I didn’t intend to , but …. toddlers . It honestly felt good to accomplish something … but was I supposed to leave the salt he poured out on the floor there ? I hope I don’t come across as sarcastic , I sincerely want to know where the line is for other moms out there !
Mom here – the stay at home version. I have the issue where I cannot rest without my house being clean and tidy. If there was a mess of salt all over the floor my mind would NOT let it go. I would have to do it before I could rest. It’s cliche but, I am certainly a Martha. I told my friend just the other day that if Jesus walked into my house I likely would yell from the kitchen sink, “Im in here!” And he would probably just stand next to me and wash dishes along with me – because that’s just who He is. Gracious. I am learning to have the right heart posture. Are you really resting if you’re sitting on the couch staring at a mess and stressing about the mess? Heck no! Rest is not simply sitting still (all of the time anyway). It’s a posture of the heart. Martha has the wrong heart posture at that moment with Jesus. She wasn’t wrong for buzzing around the house and serving her guests. That’s what you did when you had important visitors – still do! Her heart posture was wrong. If your kiddo gets the tummy bug on a Sunday and pukes all over the floor, we don’t just let it sit there until Monday morning. Throw the kid a bucket and say, “I’ll bring you some pedialyte tomorrow morning. I’m resting.” But the puke cleaning and the kid nurturing can be restful, done with the right heart. *scrub scrub* “Lord, right now motherhood is hard. And I swear if I get the stomach flu, you and I are going to have issues. But thank you, a million times over, for the blessing of motherhood.”
You are so right about it being a posture of the heart . I get a little buzz out of being productive , so sometimes the buzz I get out of accomplishing the need-to-do’s becomes a slippery slope into doing extra for that little buzz ( feels like an internal high five !) . I think at the heart of it is that I strive to feel valuable by doing more , which is truly a heart posture issue !
This opened my eyes to my focus on productivity, while I complain about needing a break.
So, SO good.
I’ve made a concerted effort to rest on the Sabbath for a few years now. I’m not legalistic about it, but it’s amazing how much good it does my soul. Basically it allows me to be present. I’m not thinking of my to do list or busying myself with tasks.
I listen to the sermon without distraction. I play with my kids. Then after lunch I usually take a nap. It’s like a vacation day but not reserved for the once or twice a year trip.
God knew we needed rest. He also knew we wouldn’t stop unless commanded to do so. Give Him the opportunity to provide space during the week to handle tasks, then set them down. Rest in Him. Enjoy His creation. And nap if you want to!
As a stay at home mom, this is so hard for me. You’d think being at home all of the time would make it easy to find time to rest. But it is hard to separate work and rest. I constantly buzz around doing laundry, dishes, etc. I don’t play with my kids as much as I feel that I should because I honestly just can’t stop and be still. This devotion hit home for me. I have a hard time with time management, but I know if I had a better grip on working efficiently, rather than constantly, my whole family would benefit. Lord, forgive me for being relentlessly busy and not being present with the loved ones you have given me. I pray that I would actively make the changes I need to make so that I can be present with you, and with my family. Thank God that “our sins they are many, his mercy is more!”
I feel the same. At the end of the day, I’m exhausted. I know I could manage my time better, but I get overwhelmed trying to organize in every area: cleaning the house, making dinner, meal prep, exercise, play with my kiddo, get in the word… and then I just give up and everything’s a mess. I love the idea of getting a better grip on working efficiently instead of constantly, as well as this reminder to rest! Rest with God, rest with my kids.
Yes, feeling this same way. I also need to work more efficiently at home, rather than constantly. Here lately I’ve found myself too busy to do devotional. It’s a sad truth.
Beautiful words, Churchmouse. It rarely is a quick decline, you are so right. “Let us be the people of His book…”. Love! ~ B
The trust of man… or really myself… has without question been the dominant idol of my heart. I trust what I can do through my will, talent, intelligence, strength, competence and time. When faced with something that is beyond me, I am awakened to uncertainty and fear. This is despite loads of evidence that God works behind the scenes bringing together everything of substance in my life. Sincerely, I can easily identify His hand in my employment, closest friendships, my marriage, my daughter and all of my significant life choices. And yet my emotions tell me that I still struggle to rest in my trust for Him. It’s foolish… but I think also beautiful. Our inelegant stumbling into grace and faith a sign of our youth. Lord, let me lay down my trust in myself and be reminded that you are holding me. That these opportunities to contribute, steward and love are a trust from you but not a crushing responsibility. There is only one God in this relationship and it isn’t me.
Thank you Paula, your words said exactly what I needed to hear. You described me. I too can clearly see God’s hand on me and those around me. I so need to remember to trust His love and accept his blessings.
Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.
This verse reminds me of a timeline.
It starts with a need (healing, saving), it ends with God’s finished work (healed, saved), and throughout my opportunity to praise.
Before the beginning, God.
Jesus then makes a way for the “cross” into the family of God for all those who come for forgiveness.
Daily is the Holy Spirit’s teaching, guiding, and directing.
Marked by love, His Love births my greatly inferior but growing love, exemplified in obedience.
Obedience grounded in trust.
Trusts by-product is rest, not the absence of result but the God’s follow-through from obedience.
I’m thinking those Asherah poles took some time to install. Those altars to foreign gods were built with some forethought. The Israelites, the chosen people of God, did not just wake up one day and decide to desert Him. It was a slow steady series of choices, seemingly of small consequence. Until one day it wasn’t. Until one day they didn’t look like the chosen people of God at all. He had provided all and they had turned their backs. They were the apple of His eye but they were now rotting to the core. They forced His hand to do something drastic to draw them back. Their dire situation was entirely preventable. He had warned them. He had told them how to protect themselves. It was so simple it became easy to ignore. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” One day a week take sincere time to bask in the presence and the promises of the Lord. Remember His faithfulness and goodness. Recount His mighty deeds on your behalf. Speak of them amongst yourselves so no one forgets. Remind yourselves to Whom you belong. All this remembering would result in a weekly recommittment. If only they had done this, if only they had obeyed this simple command, then they would be living under blessing instead of cursing. No wonder Jeremiah wept when he told them all this. God’s people had fallen so far. They forgot to remember. They simply lost their minds. Their minds were always supposed to be stayed on Him.
It’s never too late in God’s economy to make the better choice, to repent and change course. Praise Him for that! Let us be the people of His Book, the people who deliberately remember, the people who honor the Sabbath because He is worthy and we are grateful. Let us ask each other if we have done so, if we are doing so. Let us accept no excuse. Sisters in Christ, let us hold each other accountable lest we forget. Because if it could happen to them, it could happen to us.
Love looking at the sabbath as a weekly recommitment!!!
Thank you for your words of wisdom, Churchmouse. I needed this reminder about the slow steady series of choices we make each day that move us closer or further from Jesus. Very grateful for new mercy each morning and grace upon grace to repent, make the better choice and change course. Lord Jesus, help me to make better choices today to be more of the woman you created me to be—particularly in my role as mother to littles and wife to my husband in this challenging season. ❤️
Amen! A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step – let us pray that we keep going in the right direction, towards Jesus.
This was so good — and so needed. Thank you, Brooke.
For the doer in me, rest is hard! For the lazy bones that sometimes pokes her ugly head, it’s easy..!
Lord, help me find a balance, that works, a balance that gives me time for rest in you , but also do the work that needs to be done..
Heal me Lord and I shall be healed. Save me Lord, and I shall be saved..
Into your hands, Lord God, I give my days, my life, my all.. Thank you Lord God for everything..thank you, thank you..
Amen..
Morning ladies.. every blessing and prayers for you to have a God blessed day…❤
I’m the same way!!!! I really need to practice more balance. Work hard, rest hard. And by resting I don’t want to ignite my family and binge watch Netflix—-well sometimes I do—-but I should be resting by doing something that will refuel me and my family, like hiking or playing or whatever.
Amen!
I still recall what my son, George, would sometimes say about what God did on the seventh day, He would say “God made the recliner and TV on the seventh day so everyone could relax.” God is resting and rejoicing and laughing with George now because as Brooke Kocher put it George was able to “see that God’s command to rest on the Sabbath is really a command to trust Him and live out the blessing of being His dependent child.”
Lord allow me to be like a child and trust in You and receive Your blessings. Remind me that You are there to help me and to share my joys. I praise Your name. Amen.
I love this! Sometimes kids see things in a straightforward light which is something we can learn from sometimes without overthinking it.
Amen. I love the way He speaks to our hearts.
This hit me in my gut tonight. Today I skipped church and instead did laundry and yard work and dishes. During every chore I had that nagging feeling that my priorities were not right. After dinner we watched a show about the disciples of Jesus. They talked about fishing on the sabbath and how it is unlawful. I blew it off. Then I hop on my computer and go to this website. I usually wait til morning to do my devotions, but had a feeling I should now. Then I read this.
Thank you, God for that small voice. Forgive me Father and help me to better prepare during the week, then rest in your presence.
We had a similar day and today having similar regrets!
I’m guilty of the same. Sigh… Father, forgive me.