It was a spring morning much like many others. The sun was coming up over the horizon and the light of a new day was dawning. The fields were green with their crops standing firmly from the overnight dew. I was enjoying my morning commute when I looked up and noticed a hawk perched on the power line . For a moment, I was taken in by his beauty, but became instantly inquisitive as to his intentions.
I am so thankful that God loves us and knows exactly what he needs to do to speak truth into our lives. For me, he often uses nature to speak the truths that he wants me to understand. Knowing this, I began to ask God what is it that you want me to learn from this hawk this morning? In order to understand what could be learned from him, I would first need to be reminded of his nature. Hawks are birds of prey. They are said to be “keen-eyed” and efficient hunters. A Red-tailed Hawk loves open fields. He will position himself in high places to survey the fields for his prey.
So herein lies the answer. The hawk is looking for his prey; that one animal that is exposed, unprotected, and therefore vulnerable to his attack. Once spotted, the prey will be easily devoured. Because he is instinctively aware of this, the prey must be constantly on the lookout for his predator. He must strategically employ survival tactics if he is to stay alive. It is crucial that he never let his guard down. For animals this can become complicated as their prey are many. Thankfully, for Christians it is not that complicated. God has identified our predator, Satan, and has given us the weapons that we need to be victorious over him! In 1 Peter 5:8 we read “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a raring lion looking for someone to devour.”
As the Red-tailed Hawk was eagerly awaiting that lone animal, so too does Satan search for us in the places where we are alone and vulnerable. Just as wild animals are nurtured and protected from living within a herd, so too, do we find protection from being intimately connected to the Body of Christ. For it is within this body that we find the covering and protection of a shepherd as well as the nurture and fellowship from the flock.
Armed with this knowledge, we should not be surprised when Satan attempts to separate us from the very thing that we need for nurture and protection. “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:23-25)
But how does he attempt to separate us from “meeting together?” There is no doubt that our enemy has studied us and knows us well. For this reason every canvas is painted a little differently. While every scenario is different, each one has the same sub-title. That sub-title is wounding. Wounding, especially from within the Body of Christ, blinds us and causes us to resist and isolate ourselves from the very thing that God has called us to embrace.
As Christians, we must remain vigilant. We must begin to recognize the attacks from our adversary for what they are. We are not battling flesh and blood! “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”(Ephesians 6:12) Jesus, in his love for us has provided us with everything that we need to be over-comers!
If we have been wounded, God is calling us to employ the weapon of forgiveness! If we have inflicted wounds, God is compelling us to employ the weapons of repentance and restitution and above all, as the Body of Christ, God is empowering us to relentlessly pursue unity! When all of these weapons are employed in unison, we cannot help but be victorious! “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother and then come offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24)
If you find yourself wounded today and tempted to withdraw from fellow believers, it is my prayer that God will open your eyes to see the enemy and the assault that he is yielding against you. If God has revealed to you areas in which you have someway been the wounder, I pray that you will go to the ones that you have wounded and repent! Above all else, I pray that you will pick up your weapons and fight, fervently embracing the covering, fellowship, and protection that God has provided! God is gently reminding us that if we fail to plug in, we will most certainly get plucked out!
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