Devotion - Monday, November 2

The room where I have set up my desk is in a part of the house were the sound of the rain is the most pronounced.  I am not sure when it started raining; I recall waking a few times to hear it during the night.  When my alarm went off, I definitely heard it; as I read my bible and said my prayers, I heard it; and now, it is almost lulling me back to my bed and more sleep.

Let me insert an important note: The flooding last month reminded us that raindrops become swollen rivers.  I do not want to seem insensitive to that.

But the sound of rain coming down does tend to calm us and permit (if not encourage) us to stay in our pajamas and away from the wet and chill.

Observance of The Sabbath has fallen off in our culture.  Part of that is a good thing - Christians should not get to rule how others will spend their Sunday any more than Jews should shut down Saturday football or Muslims would halt Friday afternoon activities.  But this loss of Sabbath means we too seldom take our rest and allow ourselves to be restored and refreshed.  

God is the Creator of the Sabbath.  And it was not created for selfish reasons.  God knows how essential it is that we take our rest; that we give attention to the things that are close at hand but too often passed over in the midst of rushed lives; and that we learn to listen for the messages when can only come when we have pushed aside the noise of the world.

You may not have the luxury of staying at home in your pj's, but take a bit of a rest - you owe it to yourself, it is a gift God wants to give you.