stop

Opening Prayer: O Lord, help us to realize that stopping is not just a suggestion, it is a command.  It is woven into the very fabric of our DNA.  Thus, when we refuse to stop, we are tearing away at the very image of God inside of us. 

Scripture: Exodus 20:8-11

Journal: What does stopping look like for you?  Do you do it?  Why or why not?  How might you take God up on his invitation/command to stop and rest?

Reflection: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.  On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.  For in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.  Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11, ESV)

“Stop means stop.  Stop worrying, stop spinning, stop striving, stop being anxious. Stop your mind from constantly working.  Stop planning, stop strategizing, stop scheming, stop jockeying.  Stop and find your rest in Me.  Be still and know that I am God.”  

Pray

Closing Prayer: O Lord, help me to never think so highly of myself—my own gifts, efforts, and impact—that I somehow convince myself that I am indispensable and unable to stop.  You stopped and rested, so if I want to be like you, I should too.