Do you ever feel like God’s spoiled child and wonder why He blesses you so much? Truth be told, I do! It’s the little simple ways I experience His presence that make me in awe of His goodness.
A perfect example is the other day when I was taking a walk in my neighborhood while soaking up the beautiful, warm fall day and taking time to commune with the Lord.
Walking up one road I heard a strange loud noise behind me. I have never heard anything like it before. I looked back and about two feet away I saw a second eagle working itself out of this metal culvert that was under the driveway. Their feathers and bodies moving back and forth against it made the strange noise that I heard. As the eagles emerged they both flew away in the opposite direction from where I was going. I was in awe of seeing not one but two eagles so close up after them being on the ground! What are the chances that ‘ordinary me’ was walking by at just the perfect time to see such a sight?
The two eagles emerged from the round metal culvert!
A car was coming down the road at the same time and as it approached me the lady rolled down her window and said, “Wasn’t that amazing?” I agreed whole-heartedly!
I was excited to relay this story to a few friends because I find joy in seeing God’s marvels in my life. Sharing with two particular friends made me see a deeper meaning in my life that I completely missed originally. How many times do we miss a deeper spiritual meaning to something that happens to us?
The one friend said, “Thank you so much for sharing this story with me.” A bit later I learned why it was significant to him. When I first met him during the summer, I learned that he carries a stone in his pocket to remind him that Jesus is the cornerstone.
After I mentioned the eagle story, he recommended reading Psalm 91 which reminded us both of the song “On Eagles Wings”—a song that I have always been blessed by. How God-like it is that this part of the Psalm has been meaningful in my life the last few months.
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. –Psalm 91:1-4 (NIV)
What comfort there is when we live knowing God is our refuge and fortress, the one in whom we trust our entire lives to. God’s feathers and wings protect us through everything. We experience His promises and faithfulness even in the difficulties.
Photo courtesy of Ted under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0); words added by hopetoinspireyou.com
After he shared that Psalm, I shared with him the one that the eagles reminded me of.
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. –Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV)
God, the Creator of everything on this earth never tires of giving us strength and power in His name. Because of God’s being we have hope—hope that never disappoints but gives us renewed strength and courage to keep going strong in faith.
I did not know, until I shared my eagle story with this man, that he wrote two things on the stone. Both serve as a reminder to him of the two most meaningful insights that he gained from a retreat he attended. Can you guess what two things he wrote on that stone two years ago? Yes, none other than Psalm 91 and Isaiah 40:31! Only God could orchestrate the beauty of that moment.
Photo courtesy of UnlockingTheBible under Creative Commons License (CC BY-SA 2.0)
God took it a step further when I called a friend who knows God sends me (and now her) heart reminders. She looked up and saw on her bookshelf a memento she had made. Guess what Bible verse she read to me? Yes, none other than Isaiah 40:31! We were both in awe of God’s orchestration of events.
Seeing the two eagles also reminded me of visiting a cemetery recently where two of my friends are buried. I saw two eagles high in the sky when I first arrived. Then they disappeared and reappeared again when I was getting ready to leave. I felt it was a message from above. I love God’s orchestrations, the people He puts in our path, and the gentle ways He leads us into His presence.
Be encouraged this week to…
… let God protect you with His feathers and wings of refuge.
… keep hope forefront in your days.
… share God’s goodness with others.
… ask God to reveal the deeper spiritual significance of an ordinary moment.
REFLECTION:
In what area of your life do you need a sense of renewed hope?
What ordinary event did you see a spiritual significance?
In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft. The Lord alone led him; no foreign god was with him. –Deuteronomy 32:10-12 (NIV)
