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Thursday, March 29, 2007

Birds of Prey

In this article, based on readings from 1 Kings 15, Fr. Bill encourages the reader to hold fast to the promises of God by “shooing away” the birds of prey that seek to rob us of God’s words and preparations when waiting to hear from the Lord.

Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.” 1 Kings 15:11

There are times in life when what we see is far different than what God has promised us. This was certainly in Abram’s case. God had promised Abram he would one day be a great nation, numbering greater than the stars in the sky, but this was taking much too long and, to his way of thinking, nothing was happening. In the “lull-time” (the time between the giving and the fulfilling of the promise) Abram sought to make something like the promise happen, and that in his own strength and in his own timing. But God stepped in and reaffirmed the original promise to Abram, “Don’t be afraid, I am your shield and your strong reward.” (1 Kings 15:1b)

God asked Abram to take some animals, divide them in half, and lay them out on an open rock in the plain of day, which he did. In due time, God would cause Abram to fall into a deep sleep, surround him with a dreadful darkness, and speak specific words of hope and promise over him (vv.12-16). But for now, Abram waited for God to meet the preparations of his heart. As the day wore on, certain “birds of prey,” eyeing the fleshy tidbits of Abram’s sacrifice there on the rock, circled overhead. Having their way, they rip apart and devour everything that God was doing in that poor man’s life.

But, rising to the occasion, he got pro-active and “drove them [the birds of prey] away.” (v.15) He wasn’t about to let these vultures tear and shred away the sweet offering unto God he had worked so hard to prepare. He needed to protect that.

Funny thing about the heart that has been prepared to receive the promise of God: it is both a sweet savor to the Lord and an enticing snack for the birds of prey. Both Friend and foe are attracted by the preciousness of the saints’ spiritual vulnerability. With that in mind, one activity of saint is to be a guardian of all God has given him or her. We are to be “scarecrows” over the garden of God’s promises in our lives and, to some extent, over the lives of others.

Abram knew what God had promised and protected it as best he could. He wasn’t about to let his sweet offering unto God be gobbled up by a haggle of high-flying, desert rug-rats. He was quick to “shoo away” the birds of prey. He knew that, in order for God’s precious promises to take root on the Rock of his faith, he would have to actively guard the good deposit laid within him, knowing that one day his preparation would meet with God’s promise.

And, later that evening, the smoking firepot appeared. It moved with a favorable certainty through the issues of his preparation. Thus, we read in Hebrews Abram became the father of the faithful, and God became his reward.

Deep Thought: Followers of Jesus need to be guardians of all God has given. We have worked hard preparing our soil for the seeding of God's promise. Thus we are likened as “spiritual scarecrows” over the preparations of we have made to meet God, in garden of our hearts. Think on are the precious seeds in your field. What have you consecrated to God that needs to be guarded and protected? And, name those certain "birds of prey" vying for that same treasure.

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