Some evenings I go for a walk at a nearby pond where I am certain to see a Mallard and a Coot or too, and sometimes a Cormorant or some chubby little blue-billed ducks that are as round as they are long.
Tonight I went a bit later than usual, so I was still walking as the sun was setting. This provided a delightful treat, one in which I will be indulging again! It’s at that time when everyone settles in to roost and I caught the lanky Blue Herons and stuffy Night Herons coming in for the night too.
What I wasn’t expecting was the aerial gymnastics show.
For with the setting of the sun comes the insects. And with the insects comes the acrobats.
These tiny aerial geniuses would have put any Blue Angels show to shame. They dipped and dived, swooped and wheeled, and with daring speed skimmed the surface of the water before flashing into the sky again. If you didn’t know what they were doing, you’d think they had an electrical short in their GPS. They provided quite a startling contrast to the placid and predictable energy of the Mallards and Coots.
I was enthralled.
And as I was watching (while trying not to get dizzy) my thoughts turned from the birds to our lives. Someone who didn’t know what the birds eat would have no idea that there was purpose to their randomness. Have you ever tried to swat a fly? One second it’s up by your head and the next by your elbow, and then behind you, so that within two minutes you have done circles around yourself and still haven’t gotten the blasted thing. Can you imagine making a living out of catching the little buggers? Yet that’s exactly what these birds were made to do. There is purpose in their random flight. There is a reason why they don’t fly in a straight line for more than two seconds. This is how God has designed them because He, with exquisite skill, has matched them to their prey.
How often do our lives feel like that? For some people, they are forever darting and diving above the heads of the Mallards. You, like the acrobats, have lived a life of sudden turns and flashing speed, and at times, those who don’t know your design have wondered if you have an electrical short in your brain. Have you considered the possibility that God has matched you to the purpose He has called you to live? That, in spite of other people’s opinions and misperceptions, there is a reason why you can turn on a dime and leave some change?
Maybe there are others who feel like those crazy flights are seasons in your life, when God forces you from the placid world of the Mallard to the random world of catching flies. If this is where you are, what if you were to ask Him for the purpose? What is the reason for the randomness? What have you not seen? What is the “catch” you are after?
There is incredible beauty, skill, and grace in the flights of these birds He loves. I feel that they are not just feeding themselves, but thrilling in the chase. And frankly, I don’t think they care too much about whether or not I know what they are doing. How much more could it be for you?
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Wow, what a thoughtful and poignant picture. Thank you!
Legitimacy for those who were designed to be non-linear. Most of the time the attitude is that we can accomplish God’s will in spite of our propensities, but the reality is, we do it because of our style.
Arthur
One day as I drove home I saw the clouds forming a white horse jumping over a hurdle in the sky…very clearly (as Mercies can see these things!). When I came home I wrote a poem about it …so I can understand you being intrigued with these birds and their behavior and the philosophy that followed – great!
I am a keen Arthur Burke student and that’s where I found your teachings – I love the way you put your teachings together and have learnt so much. I could never understand how it is that I sometimes feel I function from soul or from spirit without the other entity available at that stage until I listened to one of Arthur’s teachings where he told the story about the boys who became sick just as he was suppose to help their father restructuring his business (deliverance from freemasonry story) and you confirmed it in your last audio teaching. You also gave the correct behavior to ensure that one stays together in body-soul-spirit and birthright. Before I knew how to rectify this my husband would just call on my spirit and just started nurturing it and in a moment I would see her where she stayed behind when old wounds were triggered. I can absolutely know for sure when the wholeness was completed because a godly peace and a experience of authority over my circumstances would return instantaneously!
You are a great example for all Mercy redemptive gift students…thank you!
While I was reading your description of the aerial geniuses of the birds flitting over the water, I could see the lake with the sun surrendering to the magnificence of the mountains and all the splendour of the vegetation of the surrounding area in my mind. This left me with awe at the creative power of the human mind. I have never been to your land, never mind being in your area, but I feel as if I know this place. Knowing that GOD created all of this just for you and me, for human kind, is a humbling thought.
“This is how God has designed them because He, with exquisite skill, has matched them to their prey.” As a prophet, I am wondering, what would be the prophets prey?
Hello Roelof,
The answer to the question “what is the Prophet’s prey” can best be answered by pursuing the question of design. What were you made to do? Arthur Burk has a tremendous teaching called “The Redemptive Gifts” that gives an introduction to the basics of design, and then he has a variety of other teachings that expand on it. Once you understand the basics of how the Prophet was made to function, you can then look at your unique design and calling and how that can be expressed.