I sit up a little taller when my favorite hero enters the scene on the movie screen. I smirk knowingly when I see his confident stride. Why? Because I know the secret that the villains will soon discover: he means business. I might as well be the one in distress because I feel like he’s come on the scene with the sole purpose of saving me.
Eventually, I always come back to reality. I realize it’s a movie, my overactive imagination has run away again, and real life is actually better. That’s right. I said it: real life is better. Unlike the fictional stories we see play out on the big screen, we have a real Savior who risked everything for our safety.
Sisters, we are the ones in distress our Lord has arrived to deliver. His strength delivers us from the demands on our schedules, lies of deceit that make us determined to work harder, and the disbelief that He is enough.
And so much more. For some, identifying ourselves as those needing someone to save us on a day-to-day basis is frustrating. However, there is freedom in the fact that we don’t always have to be the strong ones. Our obsession with strength is the result of the fallen world we live in, and the Lord of the Sabbath has come to set us free.
God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, resting from all His work (Genesis 2:3). He did not do it because He needed the rest. He gave us rest as a rhythm for recognizing our need. He is and always has been Lord of the Sabbath, inviting us to draw near to Him and submit to His strength and provision.
Although we usually focus on the Lord’s humility, today’s Scripture reading encourages us to observe the characteristics we often ignore. These scriptures reveal that our Lord is determined to restore all He once called good.
Thankfully, He continues to do the same today, all with the intention of showing all with the intention of showing us His true and better way. Today, we invite the Lord of the Sabbath to set our rhythms as we worship Him through surrender. When we do, we remember God made Jesus’s enemies His footstool (Acts 2:34–35). Because of that sacrifice, we are free from cultural demands that deny the extent of His dominion. And when I sense Him on the scene, ready to help me set a new routine, I sit a little taller because my Savior sees my needs.
Jesus’s authority has made way for true rest, and His boundaries bless us in ways only He could ever envision. Honoring Him as Lord of the Sabbath always leads to surrender. I pray we choose it every time it is offered.
I hit send before I was finished… thank you for your continued prayers. They mean so much to me. I will try to remember to post a pic of my family in the facebook group today. I see all the prayer requests here and I am joining you all in prayer for those needs, etc. love to all!
Good morning sweet prayer warriors. Sadly, my husband’s body has still not been recovered. They are still searching for early morning to dark daily. The waters have not receded as much as we’d hoped. This is making our grief worse and well … everyone is struggling.
Mia Faith, continuing to pray for you and your family. Eileen Dowd and Kim Buttonberry, praying for you both with sudden losses of friends. Sarah D, praying that God will send you the right man in His perfect timing.
Thank you Victoria❤️
♥️
“There is freedom in the fact that we don’t always have to be the strong ones.” That phrase jumped out at me big time. After my divorce 11 years ago, I have been a single mom ever since, am in a challenging management position at work, and am the one that my aging mom leans on for support. I have had to be the strong one for years which prevents me from being vulnerable and further strengthens the walls I have built around myself. But God is beginning to challenge my self reliant “woman of steel” mentality. Praying that I can surrender and rest in Him. Much easier said than done though!
It’s always hard for me to read verses 46-48 of Matthew where Jesus’ mother and brothers were waiting to speak with him, and he ignores them. It hurts my mom heart. I know God is the ultimate father, but it bothers this human nonetheless.
@Julia C. Thank you for words I needed to hear.
“When I feel this frustration of being “unproductive” God reminds me that the most “productive” thing I can do, is spend time with Him and rest in Him.”
‘However, there is freedom in the fact that we don’t always have to be the strong ones. Our obsession with strength is the result of the fallen world we live in, and the Lord of the Sabbath has come to set us free.’
I have been learning and relearning this truth for 15 years and there’s still plenty of work to do ♀️ But this has been one of the more brutal weeks for emphasising my brokenness and need of God, His people, strength and grace.
I never find it easy to sit with my brokenness (let alone openly!) and wait for God but the vulnerability, humility & courage but trusting God with my broken pieces is a necessary step in accepting His invitation to surrender all to Him so He can give me rest.
(Almost needless to say, God has cared beautifully for me in and through the struggles of this week, providing for my every need and surrounding me with His love and the love of His people, my church fam.)