A believer who wades through God’s favour and God’s blessing and God’s bounty day after day, week after week, year after year can begin to court the dangers of erosion. How? Things get to be predictable. They become routine. You grow cynical.

For this study, reflect on what you’ve learned and how it relates to your current season of life. Simply pause. Don’t rush. Churn the passage over in your mind and pray in light of what you read. Ask God to seal His Word in your heart.

Have you ever felt like you were surrounded by the things of God—the programs, people, and praise of God—but couldn’t find Him anywhere?

Because of our sin nature our default mode is self-sufficiency and independence from God. Rather than allowing His power—the power of Christ’s Holy Spirit who lives in every believer—to replace our weakness, we naturally try to handle things on our own.

Make rest an activity. The commands to Israel about the Sabbath, while not binding, do communicate God’s concern that His people rest.

In that single word rests a whole new world beckoning our participation. Death has been defeated. Newfound meaning and joy replace the minute-after-minute-after-minute monotony of ceaseless sweating and striving...all because God is now at hand!