Many are counting the days till lock down is over.  Countries have closed borders and put restrictions in place, but we all look forward to returning to ‘normal’.  COVID-19 has affected everyone.

 

In Leviticus there is a verse that speaks about counting the days.  God told his people to count 49 days, or 7 weeks from Passover, until the next special day.  That day was called the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost as we know it.

 

After eating the Passover lamb, the Israelites left Egypt with their families, animals and possessions.  Exactly 7 weeks later they stood at the foot of Mount Sinai.  God had wonderfully delivered them, but there was more.  When Moses had confronted Pharaoh, he said repeatedly, “The Lord has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so they may worship me.”  This was God’s ultimate purpose, to set his people free from slavery, so they could come into an intimate relationship with him – a covenant relationship.

 

Every year until today, Jewish people count down the 49 days.  During this time they prepare themselves, looking forward to the Feast of Weeks, when they remember how God gave them the Torah on Mount Sinai.   

 

I wonder if the disciples were counting the days after celebrating Passover with Jesus.  What amazing days they were! Jesus had been crucified and risen from the dead. Many times they had seen him, and he told them to wait in Jerusalem.  They were waiting and counting, praying, preparing, and expecting.  Then on that day, the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came.  It was far greater than they could have imagined.

 

As coronavirus has spread across the globe, like one of the plagues in Egypt, Passover became more meaningful to us. Could Pentecost also hold new significance for us this year? It  certainly can!

 

We don’t have to wait for a specific day, as the disciples did.  The Holy Spirit has already come.  However let’s use this time to prepare ourselves, to search our hearts and spend time in prayer, so we will encounter the Spirit of God anew. God has promised times of refreshing, and that is something we all need.