Sabbath Rest

1. You have a rest to give us: from our own works to cease;
    To see You working in us, and in those works find peace.
We want to give our lives now and hold them back no more;
    The Sabbath– it will help us to magnify Your pow’r.

2. To overcome all evil, that only You can do.
    Your Spirit can subdue all, and make us fully new.
But when, alone, we struggle, we wrestle all in vain;
    We need to rest in Your works, You fight– we rest again.

3. We place our lives completely in service, all to You.
    You are the Master-Builder, and we are simply tools.
Alone, You make the plans now for all the works we do;
    And free from our own planning, we find our rest in You.

4. But resting is not passive; Your glory is to shine,
    That ev’ryone in darkness may see Your love divine.
While earnestly we labor, we learn to rest in You;
    And strengthened by Your power, we work with joy anew.

5. You have a rest to give us: from our own works to cease;
    To see You working in us, and in those works find peace.
We want to give our lives now and hold them back no more;
    The Sabbath– it will help us to magnify Your pow’r.

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Instrumental – Sampled Sounds

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This song was written for a theme of truth which we studied back in 1979, and which was later written down in the book, Entering into God’s Sabbath Rest.

The main thought in this theme was that the Sabbath is not just a day, but a principle. That principle is that God is the Plan-Maker, Problem-Solver, and Burden-Bearer, and that for too long, men have put themselves in God’s place and tried to do His work for Him.

The rest enjoyed on the Sabbath day is a result of following God’s plans throughout the week. Since the work is His, not ours, we can set it aside on His holy day, and not be troubled by business thoughts and business worries.

Jesus lived this truth in the clearest way. In the book, The Desire of Ages, in chapter 21 (Bethesda and the Sanhedrin), page 208, this principle is described very nicely:

So utterly was Christ emptied of self that He made no plans for Himself. He accepted God’s plans for Him, and day by day the Father unfolded His plans. So should we depend upon God, that our lives may be the simple outworking of His will.

Tags: Rest, Sabbath