Zephaniah 3:17 ESV – The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

I remember when my babies were still infants, I swaddled them, snuggly wrapping them in a soft blanket. I must admit I was no expert, so sometimes they were far more adept at un-swaddling themselves than I was at swaddling them! Though I had a goal, my babies were just loudly living “in the moment”. My goal was to have the confinement of their blanket-cocoon make them feel just as safe and restful as when they were in the womb. I wanted to quiet them with my love! On the other hand, my babies were only aware that in that moment they were cranky! Haven’t we all seen squalling babies, protesting loudly as they flailed their arms for reasons unknown even to them! But once swaddled, those babies begin to relax, and soon they are either asleep or at least peaceful once again. 

It’s much the same as when a toddler has gone from happily playing to full on meltdown in mere seconds. Mommies know it must now be nap time, though their child is sure they’ve just been given yet another reason for crying uncontrollably. It may take some time, with reassurances from Mommy now and then, but eventually they will relax and fall into a deep, restful sleep.

One of my favorite phrases in Zephaniah 3:17 is “He will quiet you by his love”.  Today I think my paraphrase would read, “He will swaddle you with His love!” I’m sure there are hundreds of ways God swaddles us with His love. One of them is the sabbath rest. 

The children of Israel were spiritual infants when God gave Moses the 10 commandments. God knew that without commanding them to rest, they wouldn’t! So He said, “You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.” (Exodus 31:14)  As they wandered in the desert God taught them the value of obedience even as they reaped consequences for disobedience, and soon all of them learned to keep the sabbath. They had been swaddled! 😊

Toddlers are too big to be swaddled. Instead, they are told it’s nap time. Some little ones love to nap, and will joyfully run to grab their favorite stuffed animal and climb onto their bed. (I think they are a wonderful example of humbly trusting the one who is caring for them, don’t you?) Others can be told it’s nap time every single day, and every single day cry in protest, or climb out of their toddler bed repeatedly before complying! (Clearly non-compliance = no humble attitude!) 

I wonder if God sees some Christians that way when it comes to the sabbath. We aren’t “swaddled” under the law, but we still need a sabbath! We may find excuses why we can’t take a sabbath rest, and climb right out of the sabbath bed that God lovingly provided for us. But that doesn’t change our need for one. Sabbaths let our bodies rest, and they also allow us to actually have time to focus on God, worship, fellowship, and enjoy our families. 

Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does the LORD require of you, but to act justly, To love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Maybe if I am not willing to trust Him and do what He has said—take a Sabbath rest, I can’t honestly say I am walking humbly with God. Mommies know they can circumvent exhaustion-meltdowns if they get their toddler down for a nap when it’s time. I am sure that if we will take our Sabbath rests when it’s time, we will avoid trying to handle our life out of exhaustion, frustration, and mental fatigue.

Heavenly Father, thank You that in Your wisdom and Your love, You have provided me with the gift of Sabbath rest. Help me to always humbly acknowledge Your wisdom by placing Sabbath boundaries on my busy schedule. Remind me often that rest is Your gift to me, and by keeping the Sabbath I am honoring You and humbly acknowledging that You are Lord. Help us Lord, to honor You by removing “excuses” from our schedules if necessary in order to obey You in this. Help us always to walk humbly with You. Thank You Lord! Amen.