Daily Devotions

“Elijah went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” 1 Kings 19:4-7

Mark Buchanan, in his book 'The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath,' helps us understand how we should fully engage with Sabbath Rest.

“Sabbath-keeping requires two orientations. One is Godward. The other is time-ward. To keep Sabbath well—as both a day and an attitude—we have to think clearly about God and freshly about time. We likely, at some level, need to change our minds about both. Unless we trust God’s sovereignty, we won’t dare risk Sabbath. And unless we receive time as abundance and gift, not as ration and burden, we’ll never develop a capacity to savour Sabbath.” 

There’s a powerful story told of an American bomb disposal soldier named Ralph. His role was to clear minefields—an unimaginably dangerous task. He recounted how he had seen friends blown up right in front of him, one after another. When asked how he found peace in such terrifying circumstances, Ralph gave a striking answer:

“I learned to live between steps. I never knew whether the next one would be my last, so I learned to get everything I could out of the moment between when I picked up my foot and when I put it down again. Every step I took was a whole new world—and I guess I’ve just been that way ever since.”

There’s something deeply spiritual in that. Ralph teaches us that a grace-filled life is one that learns to live between the steps. It’s the life that finds sacredness not just in milestones, but in the moment—the breath, the pause, the gift of now. It’s a way of living that doesn’t wait for life to slow down but chooses to find God in the very midst of uncertainty.

Living between the steps means trusting that even when we don’t know what comes next, we are still in the care of the One who orders our steps and walks beside us.

Help me to hear your gentle voice above all the others that clamour for my attention. You will show me those things you want me to do, and you will be right there beside me as I do them, giving me strength. Thank you for your unfailing love and your deep and peaceful rest. Through your power and in your name I pray. Amen