Wednesday Reflection, January 8, 2020

Wednesday Reflection, January 8, 2020

The Steadfast Love of the Lord

Brethren, I greet you well.

Throughout the 33rd Psalm, the psalmist instructs the righteous to praise the Lord, he tells what instruments to use, he declares God’s majesty and power, testifies of the Lord’s goodness and then in the concluding verse of the psalm he prays, “Let your Steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.” Psalm 33:22, today’s watchword.

Such utterances can only be made by those who have truly had communion and enjoyed sweet fellowship with the Lord. It speaks to a budding or growing relationship with mutual understanding. The Lord delights in our praises, it is through prayer and praise that the lines of communication remain opened.

Recently I was led to reflect on a story I heard many years ago. It is the story of the eagle. The eagle is considered the strongest of all birds as well as the only one of that species to live possibly up to 70 years. In order for the eagle to get to age 70, the bird must make a very difficult decision. Not all Eagles go through this but as you and I have come know, there are always exceptions.

In the Eagle’s 40th year, it’s long and flexible talons can no longer grab a prey, it’s sharp beak becomes bent, it’s feathers would by then become aged and as a result would stick to its chest; making it difficult to catch prey, eat or fly. Sounds like a dead turkey…I mean Eagle right?

So the story continues, the eagle having gotten to this point now has two options: it either DIES or endures a painful process of GROWTH!

Talk about “growing pains” this process lasts for 150 days/5 months and requires the eagle to fly to the highest peak, a point of seclusion. During this time the eagle will lose its beak, talons and feathers. The bird is alone and vulnerable, incapable of flying or hunting for its own food. Yet, the Eagle, knows it is prudent to remain in position until that which it has shed has been restored. At the end of 5 months it’ll be able to fly and eat and catch prey, not as it did before but renewed and refreshed and strengthened.

Brothers and sisters, what examples, life lessons or assurances can we take from this? How many of us having entered into a time of nothingness were able to sit still, to trust God to provide, to be confident that the Lord would see us through? How many of us know or appreciate the importance of being alone/in seclusion with God? How often do we conduct self examinations? How often do thoughts of desertion give birth to giving up? What are the things that present as hindrances to the power and presence of God in our lives?

You see my friends, to trust God, to believe only in Him, to follow his leading and to accept His will is evidence of total submission and complete dependence on God which then places a believer on a point of high he will never seek to get down from.

Paul wrote in Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.

Until next week, be encouraged, for the eyes will never be able to know what faith leads us to see.

Amen