Americans are increasingly stressed out and stretched thin. Many people don’t get the chance to take Sundays off, and some don’t even have a whole day off anytime during the week. The internet has destroyed many geographic barriers to work, but has also brought work into our “free time.” Constant, instant communication has brought with it the desire for constant, instant service. Is Sabbath-keeping even possible anymore?

That’s really the same question the Israelites asked themselves in today’s passage. God had miraculously solved their hunger problem by giving them what they called “manna,” some sort of edible flaky residue that was left on the ground when the dew evaporated every morning. They gathered up whatever they could. Some of them tried to hoard it until the next day, even though Moses told them it would spoil. And even though Moses told them there would be no manna for them to collect on the Sabbath, many of them went out to gather it anyway (Exodus 16:27).

So, even though they saw the miraculous food every day, why did they disobey Moses? For the same reason that so many of us are stressed out today: because they didn’t really trust God to provide for them. They tried to keep food over until the next day and they tried to gather food on the Sabbath because they weren’t sure more manna would be there in the morning. Their lack of faith in God kept them from resting their bodies and resting their souls in the certainty of God’s providence.

But God gave everyone exactly as much manna as he needed (16:18). And God gave them twice as much on the day before the Sabbath and made sure it would not spoil if they kept it an extra day (16:24). God clearly wanted the people of Israel to trust Him enough to take a day off – and He wants the same thing for all of us.

So, how can we express our trust in God through how we use our time? Just as the people went out to gather the manna every day, we can do the work God has provided for us every day – not slacking off so that we’ll have to make it up on the weekend. Just as the people gathered twice as much on the previous day to prepare for the Sabbath, we can make whatever prior preparations necessary to allow us to take a day off.

And then, even though there’s always a lot left to do, and even though we may not know how we’re going to get it all done, we can rest in confidence – on our day of worship if possible. We can spend some time with the One Who created time itself, trusting the One Who loves us to give us everything we need.

Exodus 16:13-30 (ESV)

16 This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.'”
17 And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less.
18 But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat.
19 And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.”
20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.
21 Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.
22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses,
23 he said to them, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.'”
24 So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it.
25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field.
26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.”
27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.
28 And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?
29 See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.”
30 So the people rested on the seventh day.