This morning we took our regular morning trail down down to the Boise River. I walk or run with our dogs and the girls ride their bikes. It's always a great way to start our day!
This morning, however, turned out to be of the extra-special sort!
One of our girls came upon a wounded bird that couldn't fly. She was holding it in her hands when I reached her and it was squawking and scared. I asked her to hand it to me, still squawking and still scared, got it cupped in my hands and spoke "In Jesus' Name..." Instantly at the name of Jesus the bird stopped squawking and relaxed. Wow. Then I continued, "I release healing to this bird's body and command every part that is wounded to be made whole." At that point my other daughter asked to hold the bird, so I handed it off to her and led her in speaking our commission to this bird: "In Jesus' name, fly away healthy and strong." Then she opened her hands and released the bird into the air. We watched in wonder as the bird flew up into the air, across the river, and high into the trees on the other side.
There was no other response than to praise God in that moment! We were shouting and whooping with excitement! As we celebrated this great event for the remainder of our trek, our girls expressed awe that we came upon the bird at the exact moment we did, able to do God's will and bring Heaven to Earth for this little creature. This came to mind:
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
There is a little more to this story. It was less than a month ago that our girls prayed and cared for an injured mourning dove that they retrieved from the mouth of one of our labradors, only to experience the bird die in their hands an hour later. That disappointment was very real as they lovingly prepared a resting place for the dove and mourned the loss that day. We have a choice to let disappointment define our expectations for the future, or continue to keep our hope in God's Word as higher truth than our circumstances. How appropriate that a short time later we encountered a similar situation to challenge us in this area - would we react in faith and hope or fear of further disappointment?
I hope this testimony brings you encouragement! God cares for all of His creatures and you are of much more worth than this bird that was healed in an instant by Jesus today! Do not let disappointment stop you from taking God at His Word. Speak to your circumstances to line up with God's Word, rather than interpreting His Word based on your circumstances. Let faith arise and increase your expectations with hope for your future. Disappointments are only trials we face along the way that make us stronger as we persevere. When we face trials and disappointment, let us place the words of David as a banner over our life and circumstances:
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