Psalm 16:11 ‘Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’

DAILY READING – •           John 8:21-47; 2 Chronicles 2:17-5:1; Malachi 1:1-2:9

For many years, men have seen eagles as a symbol of beauty, bravery, courage, honor, pride, determination and grace. What makes this bird so important and symbolic to humanity is its characteristics.

And one of such characteristics is the eagles’ ability to use the force of the storm to their advantage.

Eagles are the only birds that love the storm. An eagle can sense a storm approaching long before it breaks. The eagle then flies to some high spot and waits for the winds to come. As dark storms begin to march across the horizon, and the thunder starts to roll and echo, the eagle sets its wings.  When the storm strikes an eagle, due to how it had sets its wings, the air currents send it above the storm by their very fury. While all other birds seek shelter, flee from the storm and hide from its fierceness,  eagles fly right into it and use the wind of the storm to rise higher.

They use the pressure of the storm to glide higher without having to use their own energy. They are able to do this because God has created them uniquely with an ability to lock their wings in a fixed position in the midst of the fierce winds.  This then causes the winds to lift the eagle higher. And so while the storm rages below, the eagle soars above it, and the stronger the storm, the higher the eagle rises.

And just like the eagle, we can take advantage of the storms of life. Instead of struggling we can ride on the wings of The Spirit, allowing Him to turn our trials into triumphs. Indeed the Spirit of God knows how to turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones to our greater destiny.

Therefore, in the midst of trials, instead of being gloomy, let us rather be glad and rejoice knowing that God is able to make a way for us, through the mighty waters.

Our wisdom is limited and we may not know what to do when faced with contrary winds, but if we engage the help of God and go where The Spirit leads, we will never need to struggle.

Just like the eagle, God can use your challenges to take you to higher heights and bring you to greater shores. God always knows how to turn things around, this is why we should draw closer to Him in times of trials.

Maintaining God’s Presence is crucial if we must have the victory in battle. And it takes praise to engage His presence. When we praise,  God arises and all His enemies will be scattered.

As we saw in the story of king Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20, when he  was confronted by armies greater than him, instead of fighting them  by his strength, he engaged the presence of the Almighty, All powerful God through praise.

Indeed God’s Presence will always make you unbeatable in any battle.

Let us therefore realize that challenges are only there to make us better and not bitter. Like the eagle we can take advantage of the storm, and use it to rise to greater heights in life. Storms are there to make you stronger, they are reasons for you to draw closer to God. This is why we count it all joy, in the midst of trials. The joy is the trigger for engaging God’s Presence, because in His Presence is fullness of joy.

Psalm 16:11 says ‘Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’

As we remain joyful and praiseful, God’s Presence will surround us, He will fight our battles for us and give us the total victory.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to stand strong despite the fierce winds of oppositions. Despite any challenge I may face, I thank You Father, for granting me the grace to always rise stronger and better in Jesus Name.

QUOTE

True success is not verifiable in the fact a man has never fallen before but rather in the fact that he did not only fall but also got up- WORDBITE 222.