Sunday Sabbath Devotional 2025
When I was a child, my family always put together a puzzle during the Christmas season. We had a coffee table in the living room that would open out into a larger table for that part of the year, and we would all spend hours gathered around working the puzzle, eating Christmas treats and sipping hot chocolate, and just having a fun time talking and laughing. We did all sorts of fascinating puzzles, too. We did nature scenes and famous works of art and scenes with people; one year we even did a puzzle covered in Coca-Cola memorabilia that was 5000 pieces – that one was the hardest we ever did!
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Now that I’m an adult with kids of my own, we have continued the Christmas puzzle tradition. This year our puzzle is a desert scene with cacti and plants, and it looks like the entire thing is made of stained glass. It’s been one of the more tricky puzzles we have done with our kids, but we still got it done.
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One of the things about puzzles is that when you first dump the pieces out, it can seem overwhelming. There are so many shapes and sizes and colors and it can make you think you will never get it completed. Sometimes following Christ is like that. We want to do what He desires and be obedient, but it can feel like there is so much going on that we don’t know where to start. It also seems like it would be so much more helpful if, just like puzzles have a picture of what you are making on the cover, we had something to look at that we could make sure we are doing it right. So many times I have told God that if He would just give me a neon sign pointing to what He wanted from me that I would do it!
Occasionally that is how God directs. I have had a couple of times in my life where it was incredibly clear what He wanted for me to do and what His plans were. More often, however, He is quieter in His instructions. It reminds me of when Elijah was struggling and wanted a sign from God. In 1 Kings 19:11-12 God tells Elijah He is about to pass by, and here is what happened:
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. ”Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
God has all the power in the world, but He is careful about when to use it. He doesn’t force Himself on us, He desires relationship, which means us choosing Him as much as He has chosen us. In order to hear and know His guidance it so often comes through the quiet whisper. That means that we have to choose to slow down and listen. I have had the big neon signs from God, but more often He speaks more subtly. I read a verse in the Bible that hits me in a way it never has before, I have a godly friend speak truth into my life at just the right moment, I see an advertisement or a social media post or a random news report that aligns with exactly what I am needing.
God speaks and guides, but it is usually quiet. I have found that I hear God leading much more when I choose to make that time and be intentional about asking Him for help and giving Him space to whisper. If you are seeking His will in life and want to know how to put all the pieces together, do the opposite of what your nature might be telling you. Don’t scramble around and try to do it all yourself…take the time to pause, ask for help, listen to the Lord, and then act.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
-Psalm 46:10-11