Sunday Tidbit: Being vigilant, like a Rabbit

      One day I noticed a rabbit sitting directly beneath my window. As he munched on the grass, I heard the Spirit say, “Learn the lesson of the rabbit.” Watching intently, I noticed that while its nose faced the ground, its ears rotated independently of each other.

     Like radar, its ears, by turning in various directions, cover a 360-degree range of sound. This ability allows the rabbit to monitor different sounds at any given moment and gather information about its environment. What it cannot see, it can hear. This enables it to stay on “high alert” while foraging.Likethe rabbit, we can be at rest yet alert.

   We are to be vigilant, for we are not ignorant of Satan’s devices (2 Corinthians 2:11). This means being attentively vigilant, recognizing, and guarding against deceptive traps such as pride, greed, lust, and envy. It also means trusting your instincts when something does not feel right and being ready to detect potential danger. 

    Being vigilant means being proactive. With God’s wisdom and timing, we should address those “caution” signs effectively. They are revealed for a reason. What we “tolerate dominates” and can, in time, adversely affect our lives. Rather than overlooking something to avoid conflict or lest we offend someone, we are to speak the uncompromising truth in love.  

    Being proactive includes guarding our hearts with all diligence, including guarding against harboring anger, envy, and bitterness (Proverbs 4:23). These ill emotions can create division and discord and, like a virus, infect many. The Apostle Paul tells us that where there is envy and strife, there is “confusion and every evil work” (James 3:13-16).

   However, the other extreme is those who diligently look for a demon under every carpet. This fear-based, paranoid mentality seeks to expose a threat before it can harm them. I once had an Arabian horse like this. While riding, it kept its head rotating left and right, looking for potential danger behind every tree, under every twig and leaf. Being skittish, it was never clear when it would suddenly bolt and throw me headfirst out of the saddle.

    Conversely, I had a tall Pinto mare. Her gait was smooth as she kept her head straight ahead, trusting the hands of the reins guiding her. What a joy she was to ride. Likewise, when we place our trust in the hands of the Lord, we can be at rest while remaining vigilant. It is important to keep our focus on the Lord while remaining spiritually sensitive to our environment.

    There is no doubt we are in a spiritual battle. Jesus exhorts us in Matthew 26:41 to watch and pray lest we enter into temptation. The call to “Watch and pray” is to be spiritually alert, combining vigilance with reliance on God’s strength, wisdom, and understanding.  

    Rather than being overly reactive, we can choose to abide in God and His love. I love Isaiah 30:15, which says, “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” Rest in the Lord’s sovereignty and honor Him with praise, knowing He is continually watching over us and interceding on our behalf. Together, no weapon formed against us will prosper.  

In Christ’s heart and love, Roy Roden, Eastgate Ministries