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I think most of us struggle with not having enough time. That there are too few hours in a day to get everything we want done. There are people, jobs, hobbies, and obligations, all pulling us in a dozen different directions. This is besides the many distractions of modern life. For example, the average person spends hours a day scrolling through social media, a figure that changes dramatically depending on age.
With all these aspects of modern life to balance, it is no surprise that many of us struggle to find time to nurture our relationship with the Lord. The proof for all this is a single internet search away. With the statistics for congregation attendance, prayer, Bible reading, and various other spiritual disciplines being terribly low and do not seem to be getting any better.
Besides all these distractions and obligations of modern life, there is another aspect that I do not think is given enough attention. The Fear of Missing Out, or FOMO as we kids say today. There is a fear that if we slow down, even for a second, we will miss out on opportunities and pleasure. This is also not a new problem exclusive to our generation. Centuries ago, Christian Existentialist Soren Kierkegaard wrote, “Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it.”
So, with all the problems of modern life, where do we find a solution? For a solution we can turn to the important holiday of Sukkot, the theme of my message this morning. What is interesting is that Sukkot is often rushed past or ignored compared to the other fall holidays. I say this because few, if any, synagogues are selling tickets to a Sukkot service. Sukkot does not have the turnout you see on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. So, Sukkot is often ignored or given little attention by most Jewish people today. After all we have more important things to deal with! Matters of consequence!
Yet we read in the Tanakh that Sukkot is considered the most important holiday, so important that it is simply referred to as The Holiday in 1 Kings 8:2. Sukkot is also the seventh and final holiday in the Lord’s biblical calendar given to us in Leviticus 23.
During Sukkot we build Sukkahs, temporary booths, or shelters, commanded by the Lord for us to spend time in during this holiday. We read the command for building the Sukkah in Leviticus 23:42-43: “You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
The command to build a Sukkah, a temporary place to live, is directly tied to the Exodus from Egypt and our 40 years wandering in the desert. In the harsh wilderness that our people constantly wandered, there was no time build permanent houses. Instead, we lived in a temporary way, which could easily be taken down and moved as the Lord instructed us where to go. We were completely dependent on God to provide for our needs in the wilderness. He provided us food, shelter, and even our clothes did not wear out.
It is in these shelters that we find a solution for modern distraction and business. The Sukkah teaches us the importance of practicing biblical mindfulness, mindfully focusing on the Lord, in a high-speed chaotic world.
I use the term “mindfulness” to describe this Sukkot lesson very intentionally. For close to a decade now the idea of “practicing mindfulness” has become a popular philosophical and psychological activity. This vague idea has origins in Buddhism but has been transformed in various ways by popular psychology, new agers, and various people selling “lifestyle products” whatever that means.
Psychology today defines “mindfulness” as “… a state of active, open attention to the present. This state is described as observing one’s thoughts and feelings without judging them as good or bad.”[1] The premise being that by slowing down and intentionally focusing on the present without having moral judgements, we can free ourselves from the anxieties and stresses of our lives. So, through calmly reflecting with no attachment to right or wrong we can fix ourselves and create inner peace.
The problem with this kind of mindfulness is that it leads a person to thinking they can save themselves. To believe through human effort alone we can somehow change our fallen minds and natures. The truth is that not only is there right and wrong, but we fall exactly on the side of wrong most of the time. However, there is a form of mindfulness that can help us, the biblical mindfulness found in the Sukkah.
Biblical mindfulness is not just being aware of ourselves, but also being aware of the Lord and our relationship to Him. It is seeing our lives not through a lens of detachment, but through the eyes of God’s Word. Biblical mindfulness is intentionally pausing to really examine where we are in this moment of our lives and in our walk with the Lord. It is turning our attention away from the distractions of our bustling society and instead looking sometimes uncomfortably into our hearts and minds with God’s Word guiding us.
The Sukkah represents a great example of how we can be biblically mindful. Spending time in the Sukkah naturally draws us to the Lord. We seat ourselves in shelters open to the sky and stars which declare daily the nature and reality of our great Creator. In the Sukkah we are connected to our people’s past with Adonai, through the generations that came before us. The Sukkah also focuses us on our present relationship with the Lord.
Sukkot then is an invitation by the Lord to break away from our routines and busy lives. We are invited to encounter Adonai in a very special way like we did in the Wilderness. There is also an offer to experience real joy through His creation and seeking Him out. The Sukkah can literally shift our perspective, providing an opportunity to get close to God in a way we may have never experienced.
All these blessings so far have been general. I want to spend a few minutes now getting practical. Answering the question, what does living biblically mindful look like in our lives? I have two answers to share with you this morning.
First, being biblically mindful means we are aware of ourselves and the Lord around us. We cannot just coast through life on autopilot and expect everything to work out well. We must be interacting daily with God’s Word and be in prayer during all the situations of our lives. In my own life I try to remember the Lord during meals, when something good happens, and of course when something negative happens. To praise the Lord for the daily blessings in my life, and to pray for myself and others during the difficult times. This allows me to be more aware, especially as someone easily distracted. I also try to pray for people right in the moment of their need and not later when it is possible, I may forget.
Second, being biblically mindful means knowing our joy and peace is dependent on the Lord. Without the power of the Lord in our lives we would collapse like Sukkahs in a strong wind. It is only through His help and power that we can experience lasting peace through the Prince of Peace. Our Messiah promises us real rest for our souls and the strength to endure every trial of this life. Even in death we do not despair like those who are without hope. Because we know that there is a permanent dwelling prepared for everyone who trusts in the Lord through Messiah Yeshua. Remembering these truths through the Sukkah and from being attentive to God’s Word, encourages us to get and stay close to the Lord.
As our time draws to a close it is important to emphasize that the Sukkah is just a tool. We do not have to wait until Sukkot and have a Sukkah in our backyards to be biblically mindful. Every day we can seek out the Lord in His creation or just in a way that is different than normal. This could be through taking a walk or putting our phones in another room and spending some time in solitude and prayer. The key is to make our relationship with the Lord a priority. We must disconnect from our routines and the busyness of our lives to seek the peace and joy of the Lord.
It is easy to say we will make time for our relationship with the Lord. It is much harder to do so. Unless we put forth actual effort, one day at a time, to create new positive habits, nothing will ever change. We may find ourselves quickly years down the road in either the same place now spiritually, or more likely in a much darker place. The world will daily distract and push us away from the Lord. We must have the power of the Lord, active in our lives, to push back.
May the Lord enable each of us to get close and stay close to Him through Messiah Yeshua. May we have the time daily to deepen our relationship with Adonai. May we always be aware of the reality, kingship, and love of the Lord every day of our lives.
[1] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/mindfulness