Let's Talk Sabbath
It's a command.
When’s the last time you actually took a Sabbath? A true, intentional time of rest and reset?
For many of us, the Sabbath is something we read about in Scripture and then quietly move past. We see it, we acknowledge it, and then we go right back to our to-do lists.
But the Sabbath was never meant to be skimmed over. It’s one of the most important rhythms God ever established, and it starts at the very beginning.
After God created all things, the heavens, the earth, and every living creature, He rested.
“Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” - Genesis 2:3
He made this day holy. And holy means set apart, sacred, consecrated. We don’t get to decide what is holy; God alone does. And He decided the Sabbath was.
Then He commanded it.
In Exodus 20, the Sabbath appears as one of the Ten Commandments. And what’s fascinating is that all the other commandments begin with “you shall” or “you must.” Direct commands. But two of them are different: honor your father and mother, and this one:
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping 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, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 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 20:8-11
Remember.
Not “you shall.” Not “you must.” Remember. As in, you already know this. Don’t forget. Don’t let the busyness of life crowd this out.
And out of all ten commandments, the Sabbath is the longest. God used more words to describe this one than any other. That tells you something about how seriously He takes it.
We live in a culture that glorifies the hustle. Go, go, go. Do, do, do. Produce, perform, optimize. We barely stop to breathe, let alone rest, and in doing so, we walk right past the free, beautiful, God-made things already around us.
I think God is so intentional. When He laid out the earth and everything in it, He rested on the final day. Not because He was tired, but because He was modeling something for us. He was showing us that rest is not laziness. Rest is obedience. Rest is how we remember that He is in control and we are not.
We must steward our work well. Community matters. Showing up matters. But none of it is sustainable without a day to stop, rewire, and return to Him.
I’ve been in seasons where I genuinely didn’t know what a Sabbath looked like. Resting? Sitting still? No to-do list? It felt foreign. And honestly, I still go through phases where I fill even my rest days to the brim.
But the Lord wants us free from that bondage. There is something beautiful about waking up and having a day that is simply His. Opening the Word, moving slowly, and going about your hours knowing He is in control of all of it.
In the New Testament, Jesus modeled this for us beautifully. He withdrew regularly, not occasionally, but consistently, even in the middle of busy ministry seasons with crowds pressing in on every side.
In Mark 6:31, after the disciples returned from ministry exhausted, Jesus said: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” He invited them into Sabbath rest. He knew they needed it.
Now, we also see in the New Testament that the Pharisees had turned the Sabbath into a long list of prohibited activities, 39 categories of things you couldn’t do. So when Jesus healed people on the Sabbath, they accused Him of breaking the law. But Jesus wasn’t breaking the commandment; He was fulfilling its original intent. The Sabbath was always meant to point people toward God, toward restoration, toward wholeness. And what is healing if not exactly that?
The Sabbath is a heart posture. It’s not a rigid ruleset. It’s a returning to Him, to rest, to the people around you.
Daughter, your Sabbath might look completely different from mine. Maybe it’s Saturday, Sunday, or Friday. Maybe it looks like an unhurried morning with your Bible and coffee. Maybe it’s a long walk, a slow dinner with people you love, a day with your phone put down.
Whatever it looks like, it’s supposed to fill your cup. It’s supposed to restore you. And it’s a command you get to return to every single week.
I pray you seek Him in it, and that you find the obedience to it less like a burden and more like the gift it always was.
There is more life, more freedom, and so much more rest when you follow His ways.
Love,
Katie Jane 🤍