1 The LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying,  2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath to the LORD.  3 For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits, 4 but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the LORD. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard.  5 You shall not reap what grows of itself in your harvest, or gather the grapes of your undressed vine. It shall be a year of solemn rest for the land.  6 The Sabbath of the land shall provide food for you, for yourself and for your male and female slaves and for your hired servant and the sojourner who lives with you, 7 and for your cattle and for the wild animals that are in your land: all its yield shall be for food.

Leviticus 25

The call to rest, woven into the fabric of creation (Genesis 2:2-3), is found all throughout the Scriptures.  By far the emphasis is on the weekly rhythm of rest.  But there are passages like the above that emphasize the bigger yearly rhythms; here the rhythm happens every 7 years.

They rhythms are there, as the above passage suggests, to help us trust God- to trust His provision of the basics of food and all that is tied in with it- work, purpose, and more.  

 At Ethnos, our full-time staff are given a 1-3 month sabbatical every six years.  I’ll be on one from January through March.  As I reflect on the above, I pray that I will be able to gain the following through this act of resting:

- A greater experience of the daily goodness and provision of my Father, causing me to delight in Him more and more.

- A greater realization that the success of all things related to Ethnos is truly based in God’s gracious provision, causing me to be a leader who truly rests in and relies on Him.

 I pray that, as a community, we will somehow experience the same as I am gone; I pray that we will be able to collective rest, enjoy, delight, and trust in Him.

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Prayer Points:

1. Pray for a powerful Sabbath rest for the Chiu family that leads to a greater delight and trust in God.

2. Pray for the Ethnos community to experience a deep and transformative rest, delight, and trust in Him.