“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you” (Deuteronomy 5:12).

Sabbath. Why does God command us to keep the Sabbath? It’s not a suggestion. It’s not only a good idea. It’s a command.

There are multiple reasons why it’s good to stop and rest. We were not created to just keep going.

A couple of observations. Even for the most ardent keeper of God’s word, the one commandment we seem to have no qualms breaking is this one. What’s crazy about that is that this is one of the ten big ones! We do our best not to lie, steal, covet. We do our best to honor God, not to take his name in vain. But the Sabbath…? Blah, blah, blah.

Why would God command the Sabbath and place it as one of his most important foundational commandments? Perhaps this commandment, more than others, says, “I trust you.”

• I trust that even when I stop, you will keep everything going
• I trust that the production and the building of kingdoms, ministries, churches, families, businesses doesn’t depend on me

In this season of busy-ness, how are you keeping the Sabbath? When do you stop? How do you cease from work?

“The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:1-4).

What makes a good shepherd a good shepherd is not how gently and kindly he pets the sheep.

What makes a good shepherd a good shepherd is how well he protects his sheep from predators, how he feeds them, how he leads them to water.

When sheep are protected, well fed, and watered, sheep grow.

That’s the shepherd’s job.

The LORD is our shepherd.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for” (Hebrews 11:1-2).

The heroes of scripture didn’t know the ending…they just trusted in the One who wrote their story.

• They obeyed without guarantees
• They walked without knowing where
• They believed God when everything around them looked impossible

Take a toddler. The toddler doesn’t need to know where, what, when – in fact, it would be pointless to explain the details to a toddler. All that the toddler needs is to trust the hand he/she is holding onto.

We are that toddler.

The heroes of scriptures – all they needed to know was that God was guiding them. That was more than good enough.