A Prayer for May
Our theme for 2020 is "Trust & Rest." This is especially timely in these days in which we currently find ourselves. Please join us in trusting and resting in our faithful God as you pray this prayer of trust with us.
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
Hebrews 4:9-11
Lord, we thank you that you are a God that desires for your people to rest – so much so that you modeled it for us. We are such a busy people and so averse to resting. We feel we never have enough time and are controlled by our “to do” lists. We struggle with the desire for personal significance and fulfillment in what we can accomplish. We are now in a season that has upended all of our expectations in that regard. Perhaps this is You – calling us to a different rhythm of life? You call us to find our complete satisfaction in you. So much of our identity is wrapped up in what we do, but the Sabbath stands in loving opposition to that false mindset. When we exercise a true Sabbath rest, you grow our faith, trust, and dependence upon you, meeting both our physical and spiritual needs in a way we could never experience on our own. Teach us to trust that in our resting, we experience our greatest good and your greatest glory. Embracing the Sabbath is an act of obedience, surrendering our self-focused desires for your other-centered focus. As we meet you in Sabbath-rest, Lord, change us and transform us more into your likeness, giving us a heart for others, especially the vulnerable. We are dependent on you to lead and guide us. Grow our trust in you as we reach out to welcome and include those with disabilities in our lives, creating inclusive communities that long to grow in relationship with you and with each other, and inviting others into your rest as well. Create in us a collective longing for the Sabbath, remembering that it is a foretaste of the ultimate reunion with Christ and eternal rest in his presence. What a reunion it will be, surrounded by believers from every nation, with all abilities, praising God for all eternity. In the name of Jesus, in whom we find our rest, we pray. Amen.
If you would like to delve more into the concept of Sabbath rest, we invite you over to the blog of our President, Kim Kargbo, for some more reflection.