For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.—Exodus 20:11 (NIV)

What am I supposed to do with myself all day?

I’d been studying and practicing different spiritual disciplines, or practices, which help us connect to the power of the Holy Spirit. That day I had decided to practice the Sabbath by taking a full day to rest. 

The idea of Sabbath comes from one of God’s Ten Commandments. On the seventh day of the week, or the Sabbath, God commanded all of the Israelites to rest (Exodus 20:9-10). For one full day they were to do no work.

While as Christians we are not required to follow the Old Testament Law, God has created us with a need for rest. He established Sabbath to meet that need. So I decided to try it.

At first, I felt lost. By nature I’m very driven. I love to do, and to produce. Taking time to rest—unless all my work is done—has always felt  counterproductive to me. But the Lord has taught me the value of balancing work with pockets of rest (you can read about that here). Still, the idea of resting for a full day felt completely foreign. For me, full days of rest only happened when I was sick.

But a wise friend recently reminded me that observing the Sabbath doesn’t mean doing nothing. We gain clarity when we look at God’s purpose for the Sabbath commandment:

For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:11 NIV)

When the Lord blessed the Sabbath and made it holy, He set it apart from the other days of the week and made it sacred. Just before He rested, God looked at all He created and saw that it was very good (Genesis 1:31). 

God modeled that the Sabbath isn’t simply a break from our work—it’s a time for us to enjoy the fruits of our labor. It’s also an invitation to enjoy God, His blessings, and His creation. God meant for the Sabbath to refresh our souls by simply resting in His presence.

Sabbath is such a difficult concept for someone like me. But I’m learning. The key is finding activities that draw us closer to God and refresh our souls. For me this means starting my day with additional time for Bible study and prayer. After that, my Sabbath days can take different directions. Sometimes I spend time with Christian friends. Other times I work on hobbies which spark my creativity. I’m still learning and growing in this practice.

Sabbath days will look different for each of us because we all have different needs. But practicing Sabbath promises to lead us to a deeper relationship with God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of Sabbath. We live in a broken world where it can be difficult for us to resist the pressure to keep striving. Help us to trust in Your provision of rest. Lead us in our desire to refresh our souls by resting in Your presence. We pray this in Your name. Amen.