Lectio
“Sabbath is indeed the singular discipline of what we would describe as the turnkey to the deeper life. Without Sabbath, you’ll continue to live a mile-wide, inch-deep kind of life. But with Sabbath, you will go to the deeper places of a walk with God.”
— Steve Macchia, The Discerning Leader Podcast: The Best Time To Craft A Rule Of Life
Meditatio
God does not ask for our busyness. He lacks nothing that our striving can supply. Rather, he asks for our faithfulness — our attentiveness to the Spirit dwelling within us, who guides us through the valley of the shadow of death and draws us nearer to the light of the Lord. He asks for the better part of us — the part of us that hears the quiet voice of Love moving us toward Love.
And while God may be found in all aspects of life — in all of our circumstances, relationships, and experiences — quietly calling us to Godself, the call is not to do more or even to be more, but to be still. For the deeper places are not reached through shallow means, by glossing over, or hastily moving through. Like Peter called out onto the sea to Christ, our walk must be slow, steady, and faithful, lest, in our hurriedness, we lose sight of the Lord and find ourselves in depths we cannot navigate without his aid.
We find God in all things to the degree that we are willing to seek God where God abides — in the stillness and the silence, in the parted waters and the mountaintop whispers, and in the gardens where tears are wept from such depths that they are like our very lifeblood pouring down our faces — in the Sabbath he offers us as a gift to abide with him whenever our hearts are ready.
Oratio
Lord, may I be patient enough
to hear your Voice
in my heart
to allow your Love
to unfold
within and before me
and may I be humble enough
to accept your Word
your Will
your Love
as it comes to me
with neither desire
nor fear
but with the stillness
and faithfulness
to receive
your Grace and Mercy
Amen
Contemplatio
What would it mean for you to observe Sabbath not as an obligation, but as a gift?
Related Scripture
“Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’” — Matthew 14:28–31 (NRSVCE)
For Further Reading
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Beneath the Threat of Nothingness: Contemplative Prayer and the God Who Fills Every Void, which explores the fear of silence and emptiness in contemplative prayer, and the discovery — drawn from Meister Eckhart — that the void we most dread is the very threshold where God meets us.
Robert Van Valkenburgh
Grappling With Divinity.
Wrestling With God.
Returning To Love.
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