Tags
1 Thessalonians 5:11, Bald Eagles, Deuteronomy 1:28, Deuteronomy 3:28, Eagles Mere, Encouragement, Isaiah 40:28-31, New Life Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Omega Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Redeemer Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Romans 1:11-12, Webster's 1828 Dictionary
I live in Pennsylvania, where we have a healthy population of Bald Eagles. But I rarely see them. I regularly pass by two nesting sites, and only twice have I seen one soaring nearby. I went on an Alaskan Cruise, where everyone assured me I would see vast numbers of eagles. I saw two, and then only as white spots in a faraway tree.
I know they are here. The Pennsylvania Game Commission reported 270 nesting pairs in 2013. But seeing one is still a rare treat for me. And just why is this such a thrill for me? They evoke feelings of hope, peace, and calm in me. I see one, and verses from Isaiah come to mind:
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)
This was one of many comforting promises shared this weekend at our church’s Ladies Retreat. Women from New Life Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Redeemer Orthodox Presbyterian Church and Omega Orthodox Presbyterian Church gathered, along with sisters invited from various churches and locales. Our theme was 1 Thessalonians 5:11- Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
The Bible is full of exhortations to encourage others. Moses tells the people to encourage Joshua, who will be their leader in entering the Promised Land. Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. (Deuteronomy 1:28) God tells Moses to encourage Joshua. But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over at the head of this people, and he shall put them in possession of the land that you shall see.’(Deuteronomy 3:28) We are told in various places that David encouraged his generals and the priests. Barnabas we are told means son of encouragement. Throughout Acts we read how believers and apostles encouraged each other. And in his letter to the Romans, a church he had never visited, Paul begins For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. (Romans 1:11-12)
So what exactly does it mean to encourage? Webster’s 1828 Dictionary says this:
ENCOUR’AGE, v.t. enkur’rage. To give courage to; to give or increase confidence of success; to inspire with courage, spirit, or strength of mind; to embolden; to animate; to incite; to inspirit. (Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language. 2014.http://1828.mshaffer.com/d/word/encourage)
A group of weary, burdened, broken women met in Eagles Mere this weekend. We were all given the assignment to “encourage one another and build one another up”. And we did. We shared meals, and glimpsed pieces of each other’s lives. We sang hymns with inspiring words. We laughed, talked and cried together. We read God’s Word to each other. We prayed for ourselves and for others.
And we were given courage, confidence, inspiration, strength of mind and spirit. We were made bolder and more animated. All of this happened simply by spending time together in a place where our focus was to connect with God and each other and to encourage one another. Our busy world makes this hard to do. Raising a family, keeping a house, caring for parents, earning a living, and various other good and necessary pursuits take our time. But we must remember God’s command to encourage each other. And when we are encouraged, we need to pass it on.
As our get-away wound down, some of us had the joy of canoeing on the lake in Eagles Mere. And as we did, God sent us more encouragement in the form of Bald Eagles. One swooped over a canoe as it headed across the lake to join its mate in a tree. I got to watch them fly several times, first when they were disturbed by hikers on the shore, who never even saw the giant birds in the tree above them. Then they moved around from tree to tree until they found one where they could comfortably sit close together on a branch.
Do you know that Eagles mate for life? And an eagle lives for about 25 years. I have no way of knowing if this was a young eagle pair or one that had been together for many years, but I do know that God designed them to be committed to each other, to desire to be close to each other, to want to sit on the same branch on a beautiful, sunny fall afternoon. They need each other to prosper and thrive. The same is true for us. Believers need each other. We need to make time to connect and encourage each other. It is hard to do, but we see it clearly as a command.
I returned from the retreat to a full Sunday, and a Monday that had an early start. I didn’t get to write notes I wanted to. I didn’t have time to write this post. I didn’t have time to make phone calls I should have made. And I set off to my morning appointments feeling discouraged, rather than encouraged. And then it happened. God sent me another eagle, sitting majestically and calmly on the Lewisburg Railroad Bridge. I couldn’t believe it. In the 11 years I have been crossing that bridge, I have never seen an eagle there. I have seen pictures of them there. Many people I know have seen them. But God, in his perfect timing and knowledge of exactly what I need, waited until I was focused on the encouragement of eagles to show one to me. Suddenly, my discouragement was replaced by hope and remembrance of all God had provided.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Diane