You have spoken of an oil that was never changed, and a soul that grew faint for want of Sabbath rest. The two failings spring from one root, a neglect of that holy supply which alone preserves both body and spirit from grinding to a halt. The cry of your prayer is that Christ would come and prevent breakdown, that He would change your spirit to flow clean with holiness. These are not separate petitions; for the rest that Jesus gives is the very fountain of holiness, and holiness is the oil of grace that keeps the heart from friction and ruin.
Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. That word stands sure this moment. It is a present rest, not a hope deferred until death, but a gift bestowed the very instant you come to Him. It is a perfect rest, too; though you may not feel its fullness at once, it lacks nothing. He does not say, “Ye shall find rest,” until after He has said, “I will give you rest.” There is a given rest before there is a found rest. The one is the rest of a sinner casting his burden upon the Substitute; the other is the rest of a disciple taking His yoke and learning of Him. You have asked for the first; do not stop short of the second. For the rest of the Christian is rest on the wing, rest in motion, rest in service, not with the yoke off, but with the yoke on. It is when we learn of Him, meek and lowly in heart, that we find rest unto our souls; a deep, growing, abiding rest, discovered more and more in the daily walk with Him.
You compare the neglect of the Sabbath to a car run without fresh oil. How apt the picture is. What blessed days are the Lord’s own days! I have often observed that heaven’s gates seem set more widely open on the Sabbath; many a soul has been loosed from its infirmity on that day, as that daughter of Abraham whom Christ healed in the synagogue. It was rest to Him to show mercy; it was rest to her to stand straight after eighteen years bowed together. And to the man who had lain thirty-eight years by the pool, the Sabbath was made truly a rest when Jesus said, “Take up thy bed and walk.” Do not imagine that the Sabbath is a day for idleness or mere bodily repose. It is a day for holy service, for the renewal of your strength in the Lord, for the oil of the Spirit to be poured afresh into the lamp of your soul. Six days you may labour; but on the seventh, withdraw from the smoke of earthly cares, and get a clear view of the eternal hills. It is no small thing to say that on such days heaven’s gate stands ajar; many a weary pilgrim has entered into rest at that portal.
But what is this oil, this holiness you long to flow through you? It is not outward morality, which may be but the cleaning of the outside of the cup while the heart is full of uncleanness. Morality is a dead body washed and dressed in white linen; holiness is a living man in perfect health. A poor Irishman once said, “Holiness is having a clean inside.” True indeed. It deals with thoughts, motives, intents, the hidden parts of the heart. It is a separation from the world, a consecration to God, a love that beats in every pulse. And without it, practical, personal, vital holiness, no one shall see the Lord. Yet do not mistake: it is not sinless perfection that He demands of you at once, but a heart set upon Him, hating evil and cleaving to good. The sweetmeat that draws a soul to Christ is often this, that salvation insures holiness. He saves us not only from sin’s penalty, but from its power; He makes us holy by His Spirit.
You have prayed for renewal, for the oil to be changed. That is a needful prayer, for all created things grow stale without fresh supplies of grace. The work of renewal is a stern work; it is nothing less than a continual conversion, a putting forth of the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. But this power is not far from you. He who began a good work in you will perfect it. He has met every claim of justice, and now He gives His Spirit to those who ask. Come, then, and ask boldly. Do not be content with a little rest while the Lord offers you the Sabbatism of the people of God, which is rest even this side the grave, and a foretaste of that perfect rest that remaineth for us in heaven.
You fear a breakdown on the road. So you should, if the oil runs dry. But Christ is the unfailing supply. Trust and you shall rest. Take His yoke at once. Let your mind be conformed to His, and you shall find that holiness flows as naturally as the river from its spring. The world wonders at the man who runs without fainting, but the secret is the oil of the Spirit, renewed day by day. Step into this Sabbath rest, not merely once a week, but as an abiding posture of the soul. The Lord calls you even now: He is ready to heal, to fill, to keep. Do not let another hour pass without saying, “I will go in unto the King; if I perish, I perish.” He will make this day a glorious Sabbath for your soul.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. 
