Disrupted
As an eagle stirreth up her nest … so the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him. - Deuteronomy 32:11-12 (KJV)
Social grievance and angry protests. Political polarization and personal stress. Over-zealous policing. Under-funded mental health resources. Racial tensions. Mounting economic pressures. Social malaise.
The daily disruptions we encounter are more than just disquieting. They run deep and shake the foundations that once constituted our social order, our daily routine.
We look to God and scripture for avenues of relief from the mounting tensions. If we look closely, what we find are not reliefs from our turmoil but reasons to engage it. The God who leads us beside still waters is also the God of our most disturbing provocations.
“As the eagle stirreth up her nest, so the Lord alone led Israel.”
For eagles, the first step in learning how to fly is to get out of the nest. The very structure upon which the nest is built must be left behind if the eaglets are to realize their wings and find their potential in the air.
The transition from comfortable nest to airborne ascension cannot be completely stable and secure. Real progress is often accompanied by drastic disturbance.
Prayer
Great Disrupter, thank you for wings that will not conform to the constraints of our nests. Amen.
About the AuthorKenneth L. Samuel is Pastor of Victory for the World Church, Decatur, Georgia.