Mark 6 v 46. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray
When a whitewater raft guide shouts, “Eddy out!” he doesn’t mean, “Throw someone called Edward out of the boat.” It’s a command for the people on one side to hold their paddles against the current while the others stroke. This turns the raft out of swift water and into the quiet eddies along the river’s edge.
Shooting the rapids is exciting but tiring. When the guide sees that everyone needs a break, he says, “Eddy out!”
During Jesus’ last three years on earth, the velocity of His life increased dramatically. He was teaching, healing and constantly being mobbed by needy people. There was enough work to keep Christ busy 24 hours a day. Yet, in the Gospels we see Jesus’ pattern: “When He had sent them away He departed to the mountain to pray.”
Perhaps your opportunities and achievements are coming hard and fast lately. Now is the most important word in your vocabulary. But along the river of life, there’s time to paddle and a time to “Eddy out!” make sure you’re listening to your Guide.
To avoid a breakdown, take a break for rest and prayer.
We’re all familiar with the saying that we can look like a swan, swimming calmly along but underneath our legs may be frantically paddling to keep us moving. We all need a rest.
Some may say that we have had too much of a rest in the last months but others may have been working far harder to help others. Jesus sets us the example of what we should do, have a break and quiet time of prayer. This will give our bodies and minds time to be refreshed.
Give thanks that we have a loving God and guide who tells us it’s okay to “Eddy out” and we pray that people will follow His instructions.