PERSEVERING PIGIONS

1 Thessalonians 1:4  "Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring."

There are a number of pigeons that stay around the shopping strip where my office is located.  Two of these pigeons have made their home in the signage for my office and have been nesting there for months.  When I first noticed them, it was a number of months ago.  Two of them, male and female, were in the sign, in between the letters and were building a nest.  They would fly down and find some twigs and go back.  As I would come in and out of my office I could hear them cooing and singing their thanks to the Lord for their provision.  After a few weeks I could see the eggs in the nest when I got far enough from it.  There was always one of the pigeons there.  My boss saw the nest and told me to have it removed and I told him I could not, there were eggs there.  So nothing was done and I saw new life emerge from that nest.  It wasn't long after that some men came along and knocked the nest out of the sign. 

A few weeks ago, these pigeons were back and began to make their nest again.  Back and forth, twigs in beaks they continued their work.  And yesterday, I noticed twigs all over the sidewalk and realized that the nest had been knocked out of the sign again.  All their work, once again destroyed.

How like these pigeons true worshipers are.  We stand on faith, we build our hope, our lives on our Rock, our foundation, our Lord. Things happen and we get knocked down.  But there is a difference between being knocked down and knocked out.  The Lord reaches out His hand and lifts us up and he places us back where we belong....on the Rock of our salvation.  He restores our spirits and renews our faith, stronger now because of the trials, stronger because we, once again, have seen, are witnesses to, His great love and His faithfulness.  We persevere, not giving up, for we know in Whom we believe, we know that this place, this territory is where the Lord has placed us.  Like these pigeons, whose place, whose home is that sign, the place the Lord has given them.  So we get up, the Lord brushing us off, cleansing all that grime that the enemy has left on us, and we continue the battle, knowing that this place, this territory is going to be a place of victory for the Lord and we are His army, His mighty army.

Lord, let me be like these precious pigeons.  They know the place you have made for them and they will return again and again to rebuild their nest, established in You, never forsaking, never waivering to get the job done, to give birth to new life.  Father, let me continually yield to you.  Let my life be a light to give new birth to those who are seeking You.  Let me be a witness to Your faithfulness.  Let me persevere in accomplishing the work you have for me.  No matter how many times the enemy knocks me down, I know Your hand will be reaching for mine, Your voice telling me "Arise, my love, come unto Me, I will give you rest, I will restore You, I will set you on my Rock, I will put peace in your soul, I will set your feet to dancing.....Rejoice in Me....My persevering child, My worshiper."

03-30-12