In John Mark Comer’s usage, “hurry” is not simply a manner in which any given activity might be done; it is a disease of the soul which infects much of Western society. “Hurry” is Comer’s shorthand for a pace of life which leaves one feeling harried, empty, and unable to find peace. As the book’s title suggests, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry regards this hurried pace as something which needs to be eradicated from one’s life if one is ever to be fully present in each moment.

“Sabbath” refers to a Jewish practice of taking the seventh day as a day of rest, consecrated to God. The observance of Sabbath is founded on the laws of Moses in the Bible, included as one of the Ten Commandments and rooted in the creation narratives, in which God himself was said to have rested on the seventh day of creation. While the mandatory practice of a Sabbath rest is not universally observed by Christians, Comer regards it as a natural and healthy spiritual practice, an act of fashioning one’s life after the pattern of Jesus and of living in accordance with the way God created the universe. The observance of Sabbath is one of four practices of Jesus which Comer recommends as an antidote against hurry.