July—The Selah Rest Month
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.—Matthew 11:28 NKJV
Every year, Sweet Selah Ministries does something rather radical in this never-stop world of ours. We actually stop. During the month of July, each member of our team is “off duty” and all ministry work ceases. We don’t do social media posts. There are no podcasts, no blogs, and no online Bible Studies. Yep. We just hang up a sign similar to the “Gone Fishing” sign in the old cartoons and head for our hammocks.
We believe that resting well prepares us to work well. We see that outlined in scripture over and over again. When God created the world, He worked for six days and rested on the seventh. There were times of work interspersed with rest on the Jewish annual calendar. In fact, not only did they rest once a week … they were told to rest one year out of seven and two years every 50 years. Can you imagine a Whole Year Off? … and on the Year of Jubilee, Two Years Off? Well, here’s the passage of scripture about that so you can read and wonder at it just like we did in these excerpts from Leviticus 25:
While Moses was on Mount Sinai, the Lord said to him, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you have entered the land I am giving you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath rest before the Lord every seventh year. For six years you may plant your fields and prune your vineyards and harvest your crops, but during the seventh year the land must have a Sabbath year of complete rest … “In addition, you must count off seven Sabbath years, seven sets of seven years, adding up to forty-nine years in all. Then on the Day of Atonement in the fiftieth year,[a] blow the ram’s horn loud and long throughout the land. Set this year apart as holy, a time to proclaim freedom throughout the land for all who live there. It will be a jubilee year for you, when each of you may return to the land that belonged to your ancestors and return to your own clan …
Well, we are not going to take a year off, but we do think it is wise and right to work hard for a season and then to rest for a season. Our rhythm at Sweet Selah Ministries is to work hard for eleven months and then to rest well for one month a year. We love the work we do! Each of us does her own part, so none of us has to feel overwhelmed. However, when we totally stop, we accomplish several goals and I’d like to share them with you here:
1) We believe that rest times and quiet times fuel our work times. So, by resting, we are waiting on God for renewal and restoration for the year ahead.
2) We love to walk in faith. When we shut everything down, we cease to rely on “numbers” for our success. We don’t worry if we will lose momentum. We aren’t stressed about the number of Facebook followers dropping away. We walk away from all the advice that says you have to keep going or you’ll be forgotten. We simply trust God that resting won’t hurt the ministry and that He is perfectly capable of keeping all of you “with us” in spirit until we start up again in August.
3) We hope we also bless you with permission to rest as God leads you. He loves us. He knows our bodies’ needs for down time and quiet. It’s our prayer for each member of our Sweet Selah Ministry family that she, too, dares to stop and rest.
So … let’s take July off from work, but not from Jesus, okay? Let’s seek Him in daily prayer and study of the Word in sweet and creative ways. Let’s warm our faces in the sun and remember the Son who created sun and moon. Let’s count the stars in the sky and listen to the sound of birdsong in the air. Let’s trust the good God who made us and who established rhythms of rest for His children to care for us even when we are less busy. Let’s go to Jesus and find … rest in Him! See you in August, friends. <3
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your invitation in Matthew 11:28. When we are weary and heavy-laden, You call us as a parent to a child to come to You and rest. Thank You for knowing us so well and for blessing rest and declaring it good. Lord, we thank You for all the good You have allowed this ministry to do during the past year. Please bring fruit that lasts from all of it. Help each of us to value taking the time to know You. We love You Lord. Help us to love You more and more! In Your Name we pray with great gratitude for rest, Amen.
