Precious Lord, Help us to Rest

Precious Lord,

Each moment I spend with you is precious and holy; but it doesn't always seem precious to me because of the state of mind I'm in, when I bend my knees before you. Sometimes, I'm too sleepy or lazy to see it's preciousness, other times I'm too much in a hurry to savor its holiness or too bogged down with anxiety and worry that I fail to cherish the moment.

Lord, help me not to see prayer as  mundane, a thing I should do out of duty. Instead let me long  after as a deer panteth after water. Let me seek you early in the morning as king David whose flesh and soul thirsted after you in earnestness.

Today is Sunday, a sabbath day was assigned for believers to rest and worship. God almighty designed Sabbath to be holy, set it aside for His people to stop doing anywork and to come before Him in worship and to meditate on His ways. But as always, people had made Your commandment, which was meant to rejuvenate their spirit and body, a heavy burdon to carry. It became all about do's and don'ts. Love and grace were barred from entry in their favor of religiousity.

Lord , it was You who came to correct and tell them, "Sabbath was made for man, and man was not made for Sabbath."  As always, people had taken that too to another extreme,  to the extent that Sabbath today is just like any other with a small difference. Yes, we  Christians go to church on this day to worship on a fairly regular basis.  But  do we really rest from  our hurriedness and feed on His faithfuness so that we are equipped to face the challenges of another week of work. Probably not. It's sad, but true, we've forgotten the meaning of rest these days.
Teach us Lord how to slow down and even to stop doing things that are not important in heaven's point of view. Coach us to breathe easy even things around us go round and round. Help us to rest in You and to rest on the Sabbath so that our minds and bodies are  relaxed and rejuvenated to serve You more effectively. Amen ***