The Birds

Exodus 17:12-13 – When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up — one on one side, one on the other — so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. (NIV)

I love to watch the birds on a windy day, for the wind both challenges and supports them. When they are flying against the wind, sometimes it appears that they are not moving at all but caught, suspended in the air, beating their little hearts out but getting nowhere. When flying with the breeze, however, they soar and dip and rest as they glide along without flapping at all.

Moses was caught up in the mighty winds of battle, so long ago. As long as he held his hands up, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered them, the Amalekites were winning. Due to the weight of his arms and his inability to hold them up any longer, Moses knew when it was time to rest and had made preparations by having Aaron and Hur present to help him carry the load.

Often for us, however, knowing when to rest from the battle winds of life is not so easily discernible. Much like the birds on a windy day, too many responsibilities for too long can cause us to be caught, suspended in a whirlwind of frantic activity, beating our little hearts out, but getting nowhere. Thankfully for us, God understands the winds of life, and He has supplied a time of rest. He has given us a time to take a break in order to refresh ourselves amidst the ongoing battles of life.

Exodus 20:8-11 – Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (NIV)

Due to the nature of our culture, sometimes our day off may fall on a Sunday, but other times, it may not. The important thing, however, is not the observance of a specific day of the week, but rather the command to keep one day out of seven holy, set aside to honour God by resting, by setting aside the winds of busyness to allow the healing, uplifting breeze of His Holy Spirit to blow through our lives, a time to glide and soar.

Prayer: Father God, thank You that You have designated and commanded that one day a week, we should lay aside our burdens and rest in Your holiness. Remind us as Your people, that the keeping of the Sabbath is a command, not a choice, and for those who choose to obey, blessings of refreshment shall abound. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.