Use the Sabbath to Worship God
“…casting all your anxieties on Him, for He cares for you…”
“Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”
We are often busy throughout the week with work and the various chores of life. We may only have ten or fifteen minutes to spend fully focused on God each morning or evening as we are coordinating our lives. The Sabbath, however, gives us a brilliant opportunity to give God more of our attention.
Now, the question is what kind of attention can we give Him? And, to add another question to that one, how do we make worship restful?
The first question is easy, we can give Him much of the same attention we give Him on Sundays: worship, prayer, and meditation on the word. It doesn’t have to be extravagant or elaborate; you don’t need to invest in your own set of pews or tiny chapel or one of those plastic cages they use to contain the drummers. Simply singing along to some hymns (or listening to them), reading the Bible (use a guided devotional or Bible study if you need), and spend some time in intentional prayer.
For the second question, let me undo all of the suggestions I just made above: you are not required to do any of that a certain way or in any specific order. While God does call for these three main modes of worship — i.e. singing/music, prayer, and meditation on His word — there are no set rules for exactly how you go about it. Ergo, there is no pressure to perform.
Indeed, worshipping God should be in many ways an act of rest. He is a good and merciful God who loves us as His children. He is not scrutinizing how you hit every note in “All Creatures of Our God and King”, nor is He looming over your shoulder, making sure you read exactly 5 Bible verses before pausing for 5 minutes to think on their greater context in the chapter.
If you need some structure to your study and worship, that’s not a problem! If it's leaving you exhausted and unfulfilled, the problem is not with what God is asking of you, but how you are presenting it to Him. Worshipping God may be a sacrifice of your time and energy, but it should never be burdened by legalism or the idea that you Must Do These Specific Things in This Order.
Worshipping God is ultimately about building your relationship with Him. Learn to trust Him, take the time to cast your cares on Him so that you can continue in the tasks that He has given you, unburdened.
Putting it into Action: now that you have a Sabbath, plan how you are going to worship God. Not as a structure that you absolutely must follow, but as a way to honor Him and to recenter your focus on His glory, setting aside the cares of the world. Remember that the focus of your worship is to Glorify Him, but also that He loves it when you do!
