Sabbath Silence

Do you remember Sundays before they changed the trading laws? I have a vivid childhood memory of how quiet Sunday mornings were then. The only people up and about were those on their way to church. There was very little man made noise. For just a few hours the city paused. It was restful.

We live on a main road linking the edge of town with the city centre. It has lots of shops and regular buses. In normal times it never sleeps! But this morning it is quiet. The last few days it has been quiet. It reminds me of those Sundays. It is peaceful.

It rarely happens anymore. The normal bustle of life has become wearisome because it is so relentless. It is why many of us put such value in going somewhere more remote for our holidays. Perhaps, like me, you enjoy going to the mountains or the coast to get away - where the only noise is that of the birds, the wind, or the sea. We struggle to rest without peace. 

God knows this. He built this need in to us. He set the example, after creating the world, of resting from work for a day. He even commands us to rest on a weekly basis. He promises rest to those who trust Him. No other god is quite so kind to human beings.

The Bible tells of a time when God’s Old Testament people had been neglecting the imperative to rest, among other sins. As a disciplinary measure, God sent the Babylonian army to conquer the land and take the people into a 70 year exile. In 2 Chronicles 36:21 it says that this exile lasted:

“...until the land enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it 

kept Sabbath, to fulfil seventy years.”

Self-isolation and social distancing bring difficulties and a viral pandemic brings serious concerns and worries. But for many of us it is also giving an opportunity to rest. The quiet allows us to think: What have we been pursuing in running around so relentlessly and with so much noise? What is it that is so important we can no longer pause to receive God’s gift of rest and give back to Him the worship and thanks He deserves? If the things we invest so much time and energy in can be taken away so easily - by a microscopic virus, a lifeless package of protein and DNA - are they really so important?

“For what profit is it if you gain the whole world

only to forfeit your soul?

In all the fear and confusion of our enforced temporary ‘exile’, and continuing to pray for those under great stress and pressure at work, we also need to enjoy the ‘Sabbath’ which God is giving to us - to rest from work and seek God.

Yesterday we heard the sad news that a retired Faith Mission worker in East Anglia succumbed to coronavirus after a short time in hospital. As Christians we have confidence that, after a life of faith, prayer, and service, he went straight to be with the Lord and is now enjoying an eternal heavenly Sabbath rest “with the Lord which is far better”. Our prayers and sympathies are with his wife, family, friends.