Sabbath Feeling

[inquiringmind]

When I was a young man (mid-to late teens, early twenties), I remember Friday night "feeling" different from every other night, and Saturday "feeling" different from every other day.

I was taught that just as God's presence made the ground around the burning bush holy, God had literally put His presence in this recurring block of time, and made it holy (by resting from His work of creation on the first Sabbath, and by raising His Son from the dead on the Saturday afternoon following His Wednesday crucifixion), and I often thought I could "feel" the holiness of it.

It was a good feeling.

Peaceful and serene.

On another topic heading, I asked if all such feelings are directly from God.

If they are, was the feeling I had in my youth God telling me that Saturday is His day?

Edited January 21, 2012 by inquiringmind

[Storm Rider]

I don't know, but you might be able to answer your question. Was the feeling of holiness just a general feeling or an answer to a question?

[inquiringmind]

I don't know, but you might be able to answer your question. Was the feeling of holiness just a general feeling or an answer to a question?

How would I know?

I prayed regularly.

I was asking questions

I remember my mom (who was working as a waitress) hitting the daily lottery for $25.00 after she sent a $25.00 tithe into the Tel-Evangelist who taught me these things.

But I don't remember asking if the 7th day Sabbath was Holy right before sunset on a Friday, and then getting this feeling as an obvious answer.

So how would I know if it was "a general feeling, or an answer to a question"?

I don't know...

Are you saying that you don't know whether God was telling me that the 7th day Sabbath (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) is still Holy today, or you don't know whether all nice feelings come directly from God?

Is it possible I got this feeling on Saturdays because of what I was taught (and what I believed) about the day?

Could it have come from me, Herbert W. Armstrong, and Garner Ted Armstrong; as opposed to coming directly from God (or was God directly pouring this feeling into me every week)?

I'm still not sure I understand this, and I'd really like to know what LDS doctrine is on the subject.

Edited January 21, 2012 by inquiringmind

[KevinG]

Interesting observation... I quickly looked this up:

Doctrine and Covenants 59:12 But remember that on this, the ^aLord’s day, thou shalt offer thine ^boblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, ^cconfessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.

13 And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy ^afasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy ^bjoy may be full.

14 Verily, this is fasting and prayer, or in other words, rejoicing and prayer.

15 And inasmuch as ye do these things with ^athanksgiving, with ^bcheerful ^chearts and countenances, not with ^dmuch ^elaughter, for this is sin, but with a glad heart and a cheerful countenance—

This verse from the LDS Doctrine and Covenants gives me the impression that we are counseled to be grateful and cheerful and in return the Lord blesses us with joy.

I feel more loving towards my family and have a greater degree of personal peace as I observe the Sabbath faithfully. Thanks for a reminder of why I should be more faithful about keeping the Sabbath day Holy.

[inquiringmind]

You're welcome, but you realize you're not talking about the same day I got this feeling on.

I lit candles on Friday night, and went to church on Saturday morning.

And I thought I could feel a difference in "the texture of" the day itself.

"Sunday morning coming down" was depressing, Friday sunset (and all day Saturday) was peaceful, serene, holy.

I also seemed to get a "good feeling" from people at Church, and spent more time with them (especially on Saturday) than I did with my own family.

Were these feelings necessarily from God?

Edited January 21, 2012 by inquiringmind

[KevinG]

You're welcome, but you're not talking about the same day I got this feeling on.

I lit candles on Friday night, and went to church on Saturday morning.

And I thought I could feel a difference in "the texture of" the day itself.

"Sunday morning coming down" was depressing, Friday sunset (and all day Saturday) was peaceful.

Was that feeling from God?

My opinion is that God doesn't care about the particular day of the Julian calendar we observe His Sabbath on as much as that we do observe His Sabbath in a way that brings us peace and joy.

[inquiringmind]

My opinion is that God doesn't care about the particular day of the Julian calendar we observe His Sabbath on as much as that we do observe His Sabbath in a way that brings us peace and joy.

So the "feeling" that that particular day was special (set apart, different) wasn't necessarily from God?

Edited January 21, 2012 by inquiringmind

[KevinG]

So the "feeling" that that particular day was special (set apart, different) wasn't necessarily from God?

Just the opposite. We gain peace and joy from God when we are obedient to His commandments. This is part of the blessing of keeping the Sabbath day holy.

The condition of the Sabbath day wasn't "observe Friday evening according to the 21st century Gergorian Calendar". IMO God would not hold us to an unobtainable goal of finding out which day it really was thousands of years later.

Sorry I wasn't clear about that. I do think the peace and joy you felt was a gift of God both through the natural peace we gain from obedience to the truth and by the ministrations of the Holy Spirit. I don't think those blessings are exclusive to one religion but attached to the conditions of God's commandments and counsel no matter who practices them.

Edited January 21, 2012 by DaddyG

[inquiringmind]

I don't think I really was being obedient to God, and keeping His commandments.

I didn't smoke, I didn't eat pork or shellfish, and I tried to keep the Sabbath, but I didn't do a very good job of honoring my parents.

(And if D&C 59:12 is true, I had the day wrong.)

I lost a lot of jobs because I wouldn't work between Friday sunset and Saturday sunset (and because of the mandatory fall "Feast of Tabernacles.")

The feeling I got on Saturdays (and I think especially on Friday nights) was that "this particular time is different, you can feel it."

If that feeling was right, D&C 59:12 can't be.

We were taught that Sunday was just the first day of the week, a work day, and the ancient "pagan" day of the Sun.

We were told to volunteer to work on Sunday if it could help us keep a job without "violating the Sabbath."

And we were even taught that Sunday blue laws were the mark of the beast.

Edited January 21, 2012 by inquiringmind

[inquiringmind]

Someone on another forum said this.

There are a myriad of voices that are continually trying to influence our thoughts -- ourselves, other people, Satan and the Spirit. One of our biggest challenges is to learn to discern and decipher between all the competing voices.

Would anyone here agree with that?

Edited January 22, 2012 by inquiringmind

[Kenngo1969]

When I was a young man (mid-to late teens, early twenties), I remember Friday night "feeling" different from every other night, and Saturday "feeling" different from every other day.

I was taught that just as God's presence made the ground around the burning bush holy, God had literally put His presence in this recurring block of time, and made it holy (by resting from His work of creation on the first Sabbath, and by raising His Son from the dead on the Saturday afternoon following His Wednesday crucifixion), and I often thought I could "feel" the holiness of it.

It was a good feeling.

Peaceful and serene.

On another topic heading, I asked if all such feelings are directly from God.

If they are, was the feeling I had in my youth God telling me that Saturday is His day?

Perhaps it was His Spirit telling you that He has a day. (Perhaps whether it's Friday, as Muslims believe; or Saturday, as Jews and Seventh-Day Adventists believe; or Sunday, as other Christians believe, is secondary.) It's worth noting, too, that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints working and studying at BYU-Jerusalem celebrate their Sabbath on Saturday, along with their Jewish brothers and sisters.

[Kenngo1969]

There are a myriad of voices that are continually trying to influence our thoughts -- ourselves, other people, Satan and the Spirit. One of our biggest challenges is to learn to discern and decipher between all the competing voices.

Would anyone here agree with that?

As a general proposition, yes, but that's not the kind of statement that can or should be divorced from its context. I don't think Satan's whispering in anyone's ears, "Pssst! I want you to go to church on Saturday!" More likely, he's whispering, "Church? Church?! Nawww! Relaaaax! Watch some football! Have a beer!" If one has a testimony of the Restoration, I think it's incumbent upon him or her to behave accordingly. If s/he does not act accordingly, including failing to attend and to actively participate in Church (which I believe we have covenanted to do), then I believe the Lord is displeased. As a general proposition, though, I don't think it matters as much where or when someone goes to church as it does that s/he simply goes. "Inasmuch as men do good [men of whatever religious persuasion, or even of no particular religious persuasion whatsoever] they shall in nowise lose their reward" (Doctrine & Covenants 58:28). Whatever one's religious persuasion, I believe s/he should live the best s/he can according to what s/he knows. When s/he does so, I believe the Lord is pleased; when s/he does not, I believe He is displeased.

Edited January 22, 2012 by Kenngo1969

[inquiringmind]

I don't think I was divorcing anything from it's context, but hank you.

What you said here makes a lot of sense to me.

Edited January 22, 2012 by inquiringmind

[altersteve]

Also, depending on whatever the "traditional" Sabbath is in the part of the world they live in, some members of the Church observe the Sabbath on days other than Sunday.

[inquiringmind]

It's worth noting, too, that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints working and studying at BYU-Jerusalem celebrate their Sabbath on Saturday, along with their Jewish brothers and sisters.

I didn't know that.

Edited January 22, 2012 by inquiringmind

[Kenngo1969]

I don't think I was divorcing anything from it's context, but hank you.

What you said here makes a lot of sense to me.

My intent was not to accuse you of divorcing something from its context. My point was that there are a lot of different contexts in which one can speak of the Adversary's influence in the world, and not all of those contexts should be accorded equal weight. (Which is why I said the Adversary is probably more focused on persuading people to avoid church all together than on persuading them to attend one religious denomination over another. [There are exceptions, however: there are beliefs and practices over which the Adversary asserts a great deal of influence. For example, Anton Xander LaVey didn't name the organization he founded the Church of Satan for nothing.])

And you're very welcome. I've never been "hanked" before. I'm flattered!

Edited January 22, 2012 by Kenngo1969

[Kenngo1969]

Perhaps it was His Spirit telling you that He has a day. (Perhaps whether it's Friday, as Muslims believe; or Saturday, as Jews and Seventh-Day Adventists believe; or Sunday, as other Christians believe, is secondary.) It's worth noting, too, that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints working and studying at BYU-Jerusalem celebrate their Sabbath on Saturday, along with their Jewish brothers and sisters.

And I should add, not only do I believe it's possible that His spirit was telling you that he has a day, I believe (to make what I have implied elsewhere explicit) that His Spirit can manifest itself in the minds, hearts, and lives of people of every religious stripe. I think it's entirely possible that you felt His Spirit on these occasions for having strived the best you could to live according to what light you had been given. He's pleased with devout Muslims, with devout Hindus, with devout non-Mormon Christians, and with devout members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who respond to the Light He has given them.

Edited January 22, 2012 by Kenngo1969

[LeSellers]

I awoke this morning at about 4:00 AM, thinking it was Tuesday. I panicked because I had missed my Sabbath, and I needed my "rest". The thought crossed my mind that I hadn't had a good chance to read the scriptures in depth for too long, that I'd missed meeting with my brethren, that I hadn't "sung" the songs of Zion; and it seemed ages since I'd had those privileges.

It is always nice to have a real day off, one when I don't have to do manual work in the yard or garage, or strenuous mental work at the office, but can relax my body and give my brain a change of pace, too.

In "Polyanna", Shirley Temple said that one reason people should enjoy the Sabbath was that it would be a full week before it came 'round again. I have a hard time imaging how people can be bored on God's holy day: there's so much to do that we don't have time for the other six days, but we need to do to get closer to Father and serve His children.

Lehi

Edited January 22, 2012 by LeSellers

[Deborah]

I get a special feeling about Saturday too. I can sleep in, I don't have to go to work and I can just about do whatever I want. But then I was never taught it was the Sabbath.

I think how I feel about Sundays as the Sabbath depends on what I do to prepare for it and how I spend it. I usually listen to inspiring music or speakers on BYU channel or on CD and of course go to church. I like the idea of rest from all labors, except that in service to the Lord. For me it is a day of renewal. Whereas on Saturday I'm usually running around and doing things, on Sunday I can just relax and think about all the blessings in my life.