Let creation testify

By CHERYL CRUCE

It was one of those days when silence felt good. There was no need for music or conversation. The sky was ice blue, contrasting with the warm sunlight that peered through the white cumulus clouds. My spirit was searching for peace as I followed the twisting road of the countryside that was fast becoming my new home. Lifting my eyes toward the sky in prayer, I witness a bird drifting upon the wind.
Upon further observation, I realized it was no ordinary bird. Slowing my truck to a stop, I reached for my camera to capture the majesty of an eagle in flight. He was effortlessly circling above me, using the wind as his momentum. I laid the camera down, not wanting to be distracted from the vision before me.  My spirit breathed in the beauty, the silence, and the moment’s serenity. I was spellbound.
Then it happened; the eagle broke his flight and soared across the tops of the trees to my left. I lost sight of him for a split second until he resurfaced above the wooded area, swooping across the road in front of me. Commanding the flight of excellence, he tilted his body sideways and disappeared into the thicket of trees to my right. I never saw him again.  
I am aware of scripture that teaches God’s invisible qualities are seen in creation. The eternal power and divine revelation are seen and understood to be a witness of the righteous God we serve (Romans 1:20). On that day, I saw God’s strength and glory witnessed in nature through the eagle’s flight. And today, I recall that moment to bring healing to my spirit.
How is it that in one moment, we can feel the closeness of God, and in the next moment, Satan can rear his head and still from us the joy of our salvation? How can we feel empowered one moment and defeated the next? Like the Psalmist, we are human. We stumble, and we fall. Yet we never fall beyond the grace of God.
Scripture reminds us that we will renew our strength if we wait upon the Lord (Isaiah 40). It is in the power of God that we will soar like an eagle, our strength rekindled in Him.
If it is the eagle’s flight that reminds us of God’s strength, then it is the smallness of the sparrow that reminds us of God’s grace. For there will be days when like the eagle, we are in command of our journey on earth. And there will be days when like the sparrow, we feel small and inconsequential. Yet, even in the sparrow, we discover encouragement, for she will find a home for herself and her young resting near the altar of our Lord (Psalm 84).
The Psalmist often wrote of being near the altar of grace as he reminded himself to trust in the God of creation despite the circumstances of life.
So often, we find faith difficult as the storm waves of life sweep over us. Nonetheless, like the Psalmist, we must remember the days of old when we experienced the blessings of God as He carried us along the shore of life.
Today if you are strong, be encouraged to soar through the heavens. However, if you feel small like the sparrow, go to the altar of the Lord and find your resting place.
Matthew 10:29,31 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.  

Cheryl Mixon-Cruce is Pastor of Ochlockonee Bay United Methodist Church and Sopchoppy United Methodist Church.

This column is a repeat of one that appeared in September 2022.