ON THE VANGUARD

IN ONE WEEK
“On the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing, so on the seventh day He rested from all His work.”
Genesis 2:2

Have you ever stopped to consider what can happen in seven days? I know it seems a little crazy, but humor me for a minute this morning. I have been giving thought recently to a few instances in the Bible where within seven days, something changed. I promise this is no in depth study within the Bible, or devotional involving numerology. Today’s thoughts are just a reflection of my own as I have been praying for God to do something new in my life this year. In praying, however, I have found examples that show not only what a difference a day makes, like that old song used to tell us, but also the differences a week makes.
Let us first look at the beginning. When God began work on planet earth, He did so in stages. Each day He created a new piece. From void vast space He spoke and the heavens and the Earth were created. In the course of a few days He added land and water, plants, animals, and finally humans. Then on the seventh day, once He had finished creating and saw it was all good, He rested. In six days the tapestry of God went from blank to teeming with life. Then on the seventh He rested.
In the Jewish culture this idea of rest is still obeyed. All the work is to be completed within six days so that, as God did, we too may rest. This for Jewish people is called Shabbat. From sundown on Friday night to sundown on Saturday night, we are banned from work. Not only does this honor God, but it gives us the chance to refresh for the next week. I have learned there is more to it, however. With the start of Shabbat comes the start of a new week. By giving the Shabbat back to God, we are honoring Him by giving Him the first fruits of our week. This is a time of starting over, removing the past week’s junk and beginning again. And who couldn’t use a fresh start? I know that for me I can do a lot of damage within seven days, so then I find myself needing to come to Him for forgiveness, and for the rededication of my life, behaviors, and work for the week to come.
But there is one final seven day period I want us to consider before I close. In Joshua 6 we read the account of Joshua leading the army of Israel against Jericho. For six days the men were to walk around the city walls once. This seemed repetitive, but God had a plan in motion. It was on the seventh day, however, that the detail of their walk would change. The LORD had spoken to Joshua that on the seventh day he was to have the army march around the city walls seven times (Josh 6:3-4). As they did, they indeed found the LORD fighting for them, and the walls came down.
What a difference a week can indeed make. In seven days the universe can be created. In seven days newness can be found. And in seven days walls that have prevented us access can be torn down. So then, what is it that you need? Do you need God to create something in your life? Perhaps you have been at it for so long and need to take a rest, consecrating yourself once again to His reviving ways. Or maybe you have been hindered for so long that you just need the walls to come down. As we have seen today, God is able to do any and all three of these things. Today may be your day six, and that is good news. That means that tomorrow is day seven!