Rest.

“For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and consecrated it.” – Exodus 20.11
 
The Israelites had arrived at God’s holy mountain. It had been three months since they fled the familiar land of Egypt and followed God’s lead into the wilderness. They had crossed the sea, cried out to God in fear that there wouldn’t be enough food or water, witnessed God provide, and arrived at Sinai. Their journey was far from over. This was a stopover on their way to the promised land. They will wander in the wilderness.

At this mountain, they are given a gift from God, ten statements, that they might desire to live as God wills. We often present this gift as a burden. Commandments, or rules, that must be followed, or else. We become caught in “thou shalt not…” and forget these words were intended to remind them and us that God is among God’s people. To these first hearers, this was freedom.

We can see our story in Exodus. As people who have been freed from sin, death, and evil by God’s abundant mercy, we find ourselves wandering in the wildernesses of life. We search for certainty in an unpredictable world. We are unsure of ourselves, we wonder where God is, and we long for the days when life was better before we left the safety of the familiar. Even if it wasn’t healthy, it was at least familiar. We are afraid, even though we have seen God act. How easy it was for the Israelites, and us, to look for and create another god when it seems like God has delayed!

The wilderness can be severe, but it is a place of transformation and growth. It is the place where we learn to rely less on ourselves and more on the Holy One who has promised to raise us up. It is the place where we learn to submit to God’s will and let go of our egos. It is the place where God speaks, and we are found ready to listen. God spoke a gift to the people who were once held in bondage, permission to rest.

This permission extends to you. You have permission to rest in the wilderness. You don’t have to figure out life today. You don’t have to solve all the world’s problems today. You don’t have to do everything perfectly today. You don’t have to “get over it” today, whatever “it” might be. You are invited to trust that God has you, that you are God’s own and loved unconditionally, and let the divine love enfold you as it does, and rest.