Faster than a Speeding Hummingbird!

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This photo is a little fuzzy, Lord.  I took it today with a telephoto lens, through a screened window.  But what could I expect?  According to worldofhummingbirds.com, this precious little beauty was beating his wings at approximately 70 beats per second and is able to fly an average of 25-30 miles per hour!

Somehow the camera stopped the action long enough to clearly see each wing, even as the tiny bird hovered at the feeder, mid-sip.  By Your Grace, Lord, I saw something that would have been impossible for me to see with my naked eye!

That got me thinking, Lord, about other times when it’s important to “stop the action” long enough to clearly “see” what is really going on.  Like when the enemy of our souls is making himself “at home” in our lives… because we let him.

Maybe our thoughts (and the core beliefs undergirding those thoughts) are a little like the wings of that hummingbird.  Sometimes they move so quickly through our minds we don’t even realize they are there.  We react to situations as if by instinct… repeating familiar patterns we have rehearsed and memorized, sometimes for decades.  The resulting emotions and behaviors that come on us — and out of us — come so quickly, we conclude “that’s just the way we are.”

This would all be great, of course, if it was based on You, Lord — the Lover of our Souls.  If what we believed, thought, felt and did was a living testimony of Your Unfailing Love and Truth.  But what about when it is based, instead, on the enemy of our souls — his unfailing hatred and lies?

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”  (John 10:10a)

But we don’t have to let him… do we, Lord?

“… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  (John 10:10b)

Some people buy the lie that it is only a few people with a special “gift of faith” who can live a victorious life free from the enemy’s interference.  Others just “can’t” believe You, Lord.  Perhaps none of us has gained total immunity from this “stinkin’ thinkin’.”

They (we?) may claim they (we?) have been too wounded for too long to be able to heal.  Or conclude that Your long delay in answering prayers reflects Your lack of love or care.

“… the devil… was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his native langugage, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

We are all living by faith every day… aren’t we, Lord?  The question is what (or who) are we putting our faith in?

“For we live by faith, not be sight… So we make it our goal to please Him…”  (2 Corinthians 5:7,9)

What is the lesson of the hummingbird today, Lord?  That I (we?) must “stop the action” in my mind long enough — in a given moment of struggle or apparent defeat — to question what I am really thinking and believing?  And if what I am thinking and believing is a lie, I must find Your Truth that counters that lie?

But merely finding the Truth isn’t enough… is it, Lord?  I can find a relevant Scripture in Your Word.  I can even read it… over and over again.  It takes more.  I have to believe it.  Not just with my head, but with my heart.

But what if I don’t feel its truth, Lord?  What if I have no “evidence” — nothing I can see or touch — that proves its truth to me?

“Then Jesus told [Thomas], ‘Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'”  (John 20:19)

Am I willing to simply take You at Your Word, Lord… because You said it and I know You do not lie?  Am I willing to evaluate every thought I “hear” in my mind to determine if it’s coming from You?  Am I willing to refuse to embrace any thought that seeks to harden my heart toward You (or toward myself, as Your cherished daughter)?  Am I willing to truly soak in Your Word… choosing to believe it, even in spite of how I may feel?

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”  (2 Corinthians 10:5)

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful.  Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  (Joshua 1:8-9)

It’s really very simple… isn’t it, Lord?  Not easy, perhaps… but simple.

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.  In God, whose word I praise — in God I trust and am not afraid.”  (Psalm 56:3-4)

Welcoming Your Unfailing Grace, as I continue to press on…

Abba’s Girl

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