{"id":16458,"date":"2022-04-04T11:58:12","date_gmt":"2022-04-04T18:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.edify.org\/?p=16458"},"modified":"2025-06-18T08:48:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T08:48:09","slug":"sacred-rhythms-point-us-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edify.org\/es\/sacred-rhythms-point-us-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"Sacred Rhythms that Point Us to Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"

I used to imagine in my future that every day would hold something new. In the past couple of years, though, that future hasn\u2019t seemed exhilarating. Instead, it seemed exhausting. In my 21st century American context, constant busyness is good, preferable even. I worried that life might not measure up if it didn\u2019t meet this standard of \u201cbusy.\u201d But it seemed less and less like what I <\/span>actually<\/span><\/i> wanted my life to be. God met me in those feelings of worry, revealing the importance of day-in and day-out sacred rhythms in my walk with Him.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Turning Point<\/h2>\n

Somehow, it took a pandemic for me to realize the importance of rhythm in my walk with Jesus. Every rhythm I knew had to be upturned for me to miss them. I wondered, \u201cWho am I if my rhythms are shaken?\u201d That question was hard for me to answer, but it led me to an even more important question, \u201cWho am I if my rhythms don\u2019t point me to Christ?\u201d Soon, it felt like everywhere I looked, I could see holy and sacred but also ordinary and regular rhythms that enriched my walk with Christ. I\u2019ve experienced how regularly occurring practices, and habits are a good gift we can use to be ushered into the presence of the One who created us.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

God is the one who introduced us to rhythms in the very beginning. During Creation, \u201cThere was evening, and there was morning…\u201d (Genesis 1:5 NIV) and it\u2019s continued rhythmically since that moment in Genesis. In my own life, rhythms help me draw close to Jesus.\u00a0 As St. Augustine wrote in his work <\/span>Confessions<\/span><\/i>, \u201cYou have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.\u201d I know firsthand the fidgety, troubled heart that comes when I do not rest in God. Here are three examples of ways rhythms have pointed me to Christ, helping me rest in His presence and know and love Him more.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Weekly and Yearly Rhythms<\/h2>\n

During my time as a summer intern with Edify, I got to join in on the staff\u2019s weekly prayer calls. Each Monday<\/span>, the team from\u00a0around the world joins together\u00a0<\/span>to celebrate what God is doing and pray for each other and the communities they serve. It\u2019s just the right way to start the week. As the whole world speeds up again after the weekend, we set aside time to slow down to be with God and with each other. <\/span><\/p>\n

This time, repeated every week, reminds us all that \u201cunless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain\u201d (Psalm 127:1 NIV)<\/a>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Personal Faith Traditions<\/h2>\n

In my faith tradition, every Sunday, the congregation receives a benediction just before we\u2019re dismissed. As I stand, palms and eyes aimed upward, I hear these words spoken over me. \u201cThe Lord bless you and keep you; to make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May He lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace,\u201d (Numbers 6:24-26 ESV). As I gaze up at the wooden cross at the front of the sanctuary, I listen intently to the pastor\u2019s words. Though I always know exactly what he\u2019s about to say. <\/span><\/p>\n

The truth is, at the end of a hard week, filled with life\u2019s struggles and disappointments and irritations, it can be easy to forget. It can be easy to forget I\u2019m blessed, kept by the Lord, and that He turns His face toward me, to forget that I am His beloved child. All the people say together, \u201cAmen.\u201d I close my hands around the truth I\u2019ve just heard, feeling the words in my clasped fingers even when I don\u2019t feel them to my core. This weekly rhythm reminds me of the truth of God\u2019s unchanging character. It reminds me that He would bless me even at the end of a hard week. Even when I forget what He\u2019s done, and even when all I can do is hold out my hands and receive the blessing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Advent Traditions<\/h2>\n

Every year, many Western Christians observe Advent. At the end of a long year, I often feel like things are wrapping up and coming to an end. The yearly rhythm of Advent reminds me that there\u2019s still something to prepare for and to wait on. It’s that God has never run on our calendar year but on His own perfect timing. Before we celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus, we take a moment to reflect, contemplating the broken world we live in. This annual rhythm makes the celebration of His coming all the richer.<\/span><\/p>\n

As <\/span>Tish Harrison Warren wrote<\/span><\/a>, \u201cChristians believe the light is more real and more enduring than the darkness.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What do your rhythms look like?<\/h2>\n

In the midst of our busy schedules, I invite us all to take a few moments to reflect on the rhythms in our own lives. I hope you find that even seemingly mundane habits can usher you into the presence of God. After all, He is Lord over both the ordinary, and extraordinary.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is my prayer for us all:\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n

God, thank You that you are the same yesterday, today, and forever. May we focus on You in the midst of busyness, and remember that You alone sustain us. Would You reveal yourself to us daily, so we may love You and Your children more. Amen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more about internships with Edify.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I used to imagine in my future that every day would hold something new. In the past couple of years, though, that future hasn\u2019t seemed exhilarating. Instead, it seemed exhausting. In my 21st century American context, constant busyness is good, preferable even. I worried that life might not measure up if it didn\u2019t meet this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16462,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[144],"tags":[62],"hf_cat_post":[],"class_list":["post-16458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-intern-reflections","tag-biblical-worldview"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edify.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edify.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edify.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edify.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edify.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16458"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/edify.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31734,"href":"https:\/\/edify.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16458\/revisions\/31734"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edify.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edify.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edify.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edify.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16458"},{"taxonomy":"hf_cat_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edify.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hf_cat_post?post=16458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}