Pastor John’s Blog

As we engage daily challenges we go into fight mode. Our adrenaline starts pumping to help us accomplish challenging tasks and meet important deadlines. The problem is that when the crisis, the challenge or the deadline is met we still remain in fight mode. As the adrenaline continues to flow our muscles in our neck, shoulders and back begin to tense up making it hard to relax. This happened to Eleazer son of Dodai after he stood with King David and killed a large number of Philistines. 2 Samuel 23:10 tells us that “He [Eleazer] rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword. And the Lord brought about a great victory that day…” (ESV). When it says that “his hand clung to the sword” it means that his hand and forearm muscles were so tense from the fighting that they froze, causing him to be unable to put down his sword.

This also happens to us. We tense up as we take on challenges and meet important deadlines. But afterwards we don’t know how to relax and put down the sword. This is when the words found in Hebrews 4:10-11 are helpful:  “For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world.¹¹ So let us do our best to enter that rest” (NLT). Take a moment today to do your best to unclench your hand, put down the sword and enter the rest that God has for you.