My Monday "Work-Day" Surprise

So I was sitting at my desk yesterday, on the phone when one of my co-workers stood over my desk with this antsy look on his face. We made eye contact and communicated via hand gestures. He wanted to know if I had my camera. I ended the phone call and he said that as he was leaving for deliveries he noticed this falcon perched on the fence eyeing some prey. I grabbed my camera, more or less to amuse him but ended up being awestruck at what I witnessed. Here was this bird, sitting on a fence preparing for battle.

He jumped off the fence and began sifting through this shrub. After a few brief seconds he had chased whatever it was out and was headed straight toward where I was standing.

He looped back around and landed on top of another post but didn't lose sight of his intended lunch...

I glanced down at the sidewalk and almost cried. Here was this poor little bird, and not just any bird, but a cute little gold finch. It was obvious he had wounded him. I expressed myself with my friend Nate, telling him how awful I thought all of this was. His comeback was, "It's all a part of nature. This is like "National Geographic" in Del Paso Heights!" I know it's all a part of "nature" but why couldn't he be after a sparrow, or a blackbird? Why choose one of the most beautiful birds to attack? Thankfully, the little guy scurried under another shrub with his wounded wing. (At least that's what I'm telling myself because I surely didn't stick around long enough to witness the end of the story...)

On my way home from work today, I couldn't stop thinking about this whole ordeal. And then, this thought occurred to me.

How many times does Satan prey on the wounded? The ones that are hurting, weak, broken, vulnerable, lonely, and lost... The ones that don't know there are people standing on the sidelines who know about the hope, and the rescue. The ones that silently whisper, "Run...you can do it. Fight back. There's a way out!" But don't speak.

How many times have you been the gold finch? Thinking that the end is near. You have met your demise, that it's only a matter of moments before Satan attacks, and you just don't have the energy to fight back... And sadly, sometimes, you don't feel as if anyone is standing in your corner to encourage you...to help you...to care for you.

And how may times have you been the one on the sidelines. Knowing...but not reacting?

I should have walked up and punched that falcon in the beak. I should have walked over to the helpless little finch, picked it up and carried it to safety. But I didn't. Why?

Is Satan bigger than our God? Um...hardly.

I've been digging into the Old Testament the past few weeks which is something that has always been a challenge for me! I think (for me anyway) it's a difficult thing to read about God's anger. But there are some GREAT pieces of Scripture in the Old Testament and I am so disappointed in myself for not being disciplined enough to have the opportunity to discover it prior to now!

Exodus 23:22 says "I will fight all who fight against you." How can you NOT be encouraged by that?! Another one that really got me fired up was this one taken from 2 Chronicles 13:12. "Don't fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, because you won't succeed." That is GREAT stuff!!! I should have shouted that out to the falcon yesterday! :)

And we all know about the story between David and Goliath. Goliath was a Philistine that was feared by practically everyone and anyone. No one would stand up to him. Scratch that...no one that wanted to live would dare stand up to him. He was over nine feet tall for crying out loud!!!

Enter in David...the youngest of eight children and a shepherd. Inexperienced. Yet his response was "Don't give up hope. I'm ready to go and fight this Philistine." (1 Samuel 17:32 The Message)

...Don't give up hope. He was telling the people that were too afraid to take on this guy and fight for their honor, "I've got your back...this one is mine."

"You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the Armies of Israel, whom you have defiled. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. ...All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands." (1 Samuel 17:45-47)

Why can't we step up and display hearts like David's? Why is it so difficult for us to take a stand for the One who took a stand for us?

I don't know...these were just the thoughts that consumed me on my drive home from work. Something for me to ponder...