Session 20

Running On Empty?

From Hebrews: A 24-Day Devotional

On Sundays, NASCAR drivers live for the words, "Gentlemen start your engines." Moments later the green flag drops and the race begins! The next few hours are filled with twists and turns but the drivers remain focused on one thing: finishing the race. But in their haste to finish, they must plan pit stops or else they will end up stranded with empty tanks and flat tires.

Our lives are a lot like this race because in our haste to get all our tasks done, we also need routine pit stops to finish our days, months and years well.

So what do these pit stops look like? The Bible calls it a Sabbath, and it’s a day out of our week to rest, reflect and refocus on God and all He has done for us. Genesis 2:2 tells us that God had the first Sabbath ever when he rested after completing creation, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.”

Have you ever considered why God rested? According to Isaiah 40:28 it’s not because He was tired. God rested to take time to reflect on the work He had just completed as Genesis 1:31 tells us, “God saw all that he had made and it was very good.”

And so it is for you and me. When we take time out, we can reflect on all that the Lord has done for us in the past week. Rest re-charges our emotional, physical and spiritual well-being and allows us to plan ahead for all that is to come. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus promises rest for His followers when we come to Him. His plan is for us to live full, abundant lives free of emptiness and burn out.

Reflect:

• Do you feel like you are constantly living life under the green flag? Make a list of all the things you do each week and categorize them as essential, important and non-essential. Ask Jesus to show you things you could cut out and where to insert rest.
• When is the last time you scheduled “rest” into a time slot on your weekly calendar? Why?
• When is the last time you took your worries and burdens to Jesus for rest? If you don’t do this, what can you do today to start?