Sabbath Rest
Opening Prayer
You have delivered me, faithful God. You are my resting place and I love You.
Read Psalms 116:1-117:2
[1] I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. [2] Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. [3] The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow. [4] Then I called on the name of the LORD: “LORD, save me!” [5] The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. [6] The LORD protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me. [7] Return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has been good to you. [8] For you, LORD, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, [9] that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living. [10] I trusted in the LORD when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”; [11] in my alarm I said, “Everyone is a liar.” [12] What shall I return to the LORD for all his goodness to me? [13] I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. [14] I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. [15] Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants. [16] Truly I am your servant, LORD; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains. [17] I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD. [18] I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, [19] in the courts of the house of the LORD- in your midst, Jerusalem. Praise the LORD. [1] Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. [2] For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Have you found God as your place of rest?These are great psalms for a Sunday! Today Christians around the world celebrate liberation by the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is a day for reveling in the freedom of our salvation, and these psalms provide an anthem for us.Our God is responsive (116:1-4), compassionate (116:5,6), loving, and faithful (117:2). The psalmist knows this from his personal experience and from the experience of his family before him (116:16). So these psalms are full of exuberant joy and gratitude. However, the psalms don’t just invite us to celebrate. There is a call to “inhabit” the deliverance of God. Our basic orientation is to be one of “rest” (116:7). Like the Jewish community reclining at Passover to celebrate their exodus from Egypt, we too can take possession of our freedom (cf. Heb. 4:9-11). Because God has heard us, let’s keep on calling to him (116:2) and be faithful to him, as he is to us (116:12-19). Whether or not you feel full of gratitude and exuberance at this time, these psalms call you back to the place where you belong.
Apply
Invite God to reorient your mind and heart so that you operate from a place of rest and confidence in him.
Closing prayer
My soul finds rest in You, God. Even when storms rage, You are the hiding place into which I run.
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.