Remember six months ago, when to-do lists and stuffed calendars bossed us around? Surely we didn’t complain, “There’s not enough time during the day!” Then suddenly it was intermission, as if the pandemic pushed pause on our worn-out lives.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it.” Matthew 11:28-29 (MSG)

Jubilee

This feels a bit familiar to me. My own life came to a screeching halt while preparing to ride my bicycle 257 miles over five days, instead I lay in a hospital bed limp as a ragdoll. Everything stopped and nothing was ever the same. It was my personal Jubilee, a year of complete Sabbath rest.

“Set this year apart as holy…It will be a Jubilee year for you.” Leviticus 25:10 (NLT)

Sabbath

Arms heavy as concrete, I pulled my Strong’s concordance from the bookshelf. Hugging it close to my body to conserve strength, I lugged it to the porch. Opening pages filled with strange symbols and numerical references, I found one of the Hebrew translations for Sabbath – INTERMISSION.

Intermission

My knowledge of Hebrew is non-existant, but my grandfather gave me the heavy reference book, so I looked up Sabbath and intermission perfectly described that chapter in my life. So apparently this noun is an intensive of the Hebrew word Shabbath, which is a verb meaning: cease, desist, rest. Trust me, I’m way out over my skis with this, but cease, desist, rest? I get that and I lived it too.

So what are we to do with all this time?

How about we take an intermission? Unless, of course, you have a better idea. Seems God takes this Sabbath business seriously and rest is sometimes forced. After all, the old familiar twenty-third Psalm says it all, “He maketh me to lie down.” So take some time to cease, desist, and rest.

Cease

What exactly does God want you to cease? You’ll have to ask Him, but when He threw me off life’s merry-go-round, there was a lot I needed put to an end. Getting back to the basics, I started with the Ten Commandments emphasizing the first, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” The word means exterminate or destroy; pretty sure we’ve all got some bad habits to remove.

Desist

Before I got sick, I couldn’t be still, then suddenly, I couldn’t move. My muscles and nerves stopped communicating. Effort and exertion came to a complete halt. Stop spinning your wheels long enough to hear from a God who speaks in stillness and silence.

Rest

If you ask me, rest is a four-letter word, but God started it right there in Genesis. He set the pattern and rested, not because he was tired, but because he was satisfied. Not me, I want to eat more, do more, see more and live more. But I’ve learned from experience, nothing is more relaxing than resting in Him. Just rest with Him.

Jubilation

Here’s a fun little surprise, the word also implies celebration. Intermission is a gift; open it and enjoy your time.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” Exodus 20:8 (NIV)

Get out a piece of paper and write cease, desist and rest across the top. As God leads you through prayer and his Word, make a list of how He wants to use your intermission. Then celebrate.

Still working on my book called, “Intermission,” I’d love to have you follow along on my journey. Enter your email address to receive my posts in your inbox and follow me on Facebook for more. And if you already do, a big thanks and I’d love for you to share with your friends.

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