‘Do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ Nehemiah 8:10
We are in a world where people are often driven to work harder and harder, to earn more money to spend on more possessions. Wealth has no ceiling, those with plenty never have enough. As the office scene is what I know the most about, I know there are some environments where the workers used to arrive before the boss each day and make sure they left after him, so as to earn his approbation, thereby gaining promotion and more money.
If at creation God rested on the seventh day, we too need periods of rest and relaxation. We need joy, the joy of the Lord, so we can pass it on to others. We read that as directed by Nehamiah (8:10) the people went away to eat and drink and also give to those who had nothing prepared.
Jesus needed time away from the demanding crowds, to ‘recharge His batteries’ and commune with His father. When, as a nation, we started shopping on a Sunday and having sports fixtures on the Sabbath we suffered spiritually. It seems there is more stress and depression than ever. If we went back to keeping one day holy for God and restful there would be less need for mental healing. It’s not possible to go back, we can’t put the genie back in the bottle. Only in our own lives can we pray to step out of the world and find more time seeking the joy of the Lord.