On a date with God

Bat Melech wrote an amazing article today which gave me a lot of food for thought. She wrote about carrying burdens on the day of Shabbat. I am aware some people celebrate the Shabbat on Sunday, and I have no problem with that. I personally celebrate it Saturday, but I think it's got a lot more to do with the way you are on the inside on that day rather than the day in itself.

Bat Melech was referring to Jeremiah 17:21-23 and Numbers 15:32-36: "This is what the LORD says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your forefathers. Yet they did not listen or pay attention; they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline." Bat Melech wrote: "If it is forbidden to carry physical burdens on the day of Shabbat, it must certainly be forbidden to carry burdens in your soul...if you go through a difficult period in your life which probably exhausted you from every point of view, on the day of Shabbat, you should no longer think about it or talk to others about it. You should not get that burden out of your house, nor give it to someone else to carry it on your behalf. I personally don't think the phrase "give your burden to Adonai" works either, because not even Adonai carries burdens on the day of Shabbat. Actually Adonai never carries burdens, He only carries you. I know we have the tendency to believe that the more we think about a problem we will find a solution, but this hardly ever works, even less on the Shabbat day. This day was created by Adonai, so that he could enjoy you, the way that you truly are, unmarked by worries, unmarked by frustrations and unfulfilments, thoughts and fears. Only you, the one created for His glory."

I think what she wrote made me think so much, because lately I allowed the things I am going through to turn the Shabbat into a bit of a routine. I used to think on the Shabbat is like you would go on a date with Adonai. You fellowship with Him all through the week, but on the Shabbat it's your special day. Lately however, it turned into a day when I don't work and spend some time with Him in the morning so that I don't starve on that day. I want to change that. It's hard to make a conscious decision to smile and enjoy something when you are sad inside, but when I thought about this in the morning the last verse from Psalm 23 came into my mind and I remember something I understood at the beginning of this year. In the Romanian version of the Bible the verse translates: "Happiness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord until the end of my days." I understood that just as fear and worry and sadness, happiness is also a feeling. If I make a mistake or I fall, I immediately believe in Adonai's mercy for my sin. I ask for forgiveness (choose His mercy) and then move on. I have to believe His mercy is there within my grasp in order to reach for it. Therefore, I thought to myself: "I can't believe only half of this verse. If David said happiness and mercy will follow me, and Adonai agreed with Him, then in the same way I choose mercy rather than guilt when I sin, I have to choose happiness and joy instead of worry and fear."

I will admit is hard work, and many times I don't succeed, but if there is one day when I should make an effort is on the day of Shabbat. Adonai worked for six days, but on the seventh He decided to rest. Teo was saying in a commentary to Bat Melech's article, that Adonai did not rest because He was tired, but because He wanted to create in us (teach us) a state of mind and of being on the inside of us, in a day of celebration. If you wish, the Shabbat should be the culmination of our relation with Him through a week: "I suffered a lot this week, Adonai, but today I will remember you are mine and I am Yours and there will be a day when you will wipe every tear from my eyes" or "I was so lonely this week, Yeshua, but today, I will remember that you came and shared Your Father with me, so that I may never be called fatherless and orphaned again."

I know it's in our instinct to throw ourselves on Him when things get tough, to hold on tight and keep crying there until we feel better, but on the Shabbat day, lets just lift up our heads and give Him a smile. If all through a week we hid our noses on His chest trying to find refuge and strength so that we may carry on, perhaps today we grab His hand and "go for a walk" and thank Him for creating a world where He wanted to enjoy our company.

Shabbat Shalom, everyone and toda rabah Bat Melech for this amazing food you fed me today:-)