— Midweek Meditations:
thoughts, inspiration and encouragement
from ACF community members —
“As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings…”
(Deuteronomy 32:11)
As we come to the end of another year, this beautiful picture of an eagle caring for its young invites us to pause, reflect and recognise the faithfulness of God throughout our journey.
The eagle is a remarkable picture of God’s loving care. It does not simply watch its young from a distance; it is actively involved in preparing, protecting, guiding and carrying them. In the same way, God has been present in every season of our lives.
1. God stirs our nest to prepare us for growth.
The stirring of the nest may initially feel uncomfortable. It disrupts what is familiar and challenges us to move beyond our comfort zones. Perhaps this year brought unexpected changes, difficult decisions, disappointments, transitions or moments when life did not unfold as we had planned. Yet, could it be that some of the things that unsettled us became opportunities for spiritual growth? God sometimes allows our comfortable places to be disturbed, not to abandon us, but to develop our faith, deepen our dependence on Him and prepare us for what lies ahead.
2. God’s presence has been with us through every season.
The Scripture says that the eagle hovers over its young.
What a comforting image! Even when the young eagle is learning to fly, the mother eagle remains close. There may have been moments this year when we felt uncertain, overwhelmed, afraid or even alone. There may have been prayers that seemed unanswered and situations whose meaning we could not understand. But our inability to see God’s hand did not mean His presence was absent. He was there in the waiting, in the uncertainty, in the tears, in the victories and even in the silent seasons. We may not have understood everything, but we were never outside the reach of His care.
3. God allows us to spread our wings.
The eagle spreads its wings and encourages it’s young to discover the strength and ability they have been given. Perhaps this year God called us to take steps of faith that we had previously been afraid to take. Some of us had to embrace new responsibilities, make difficult choices, let go of familiar things or venture into unfamiliar territory. Growth often requires courage. Faith does not mean that we have no fear; it means that we learn to trust God even when we cannot see the entire journey. As the year ends, let us not only remember what we have survived but also acknowledge how God has helped us grow.
4 God carries us, when our strength fails.
Perhaps the most beautiful part of this passage is the picture of the eagle carrying its young on its wings. There are seasons when we soar and there are seasons when we struggle to keep flying. There are moments when our faith feels strong and moments when we have no words left to pray. But God’s faithfulness is not dependent on our strength. There were days when we thought we would not make it, yet somehow, we did. There were burdens we did not know how to carry, challenges we did not know how to overcome and situations that seemed beyond our ability. Looking back, we can recognise that it was not simply our strength, wisdom or determination that brought us this far. It was the sustaining grace of God. We are ending this season not because we managed to carry everything, but because God carried us.
5. As we enter a new season, we can trust the One who goes before us.
The eagle does not carry it’s young merely to help them survive the present moment; it prepares them for the journey ahead. As we stand at the threshold of a new season, we do not know everything it will bring. There may be new opportunities, unexpected challenges, fresh beginnings and lessons yet to be learned. But we can enter the new season with confidence, knowing that the God who sustained us in the past will remain faithful in the future. We do not need to have all the answers. We need to keep our hearts surrendered, our eyes fixed on Him and our faith anchored in His promises.
The God who stirred our nest, hovered over us, spread His wings and carried us through is the same God who will lead us into the next season.
The ACF Midweek Meditations
are written by a diverse group of our church members with the intention to seek God’s fingerprints in our lives. They range from somber to humorous and are inspired by all facets of live and faith. Written by ordinary people from all walks of life, they reflect a wide range of Christian backgrounds and spiritualities.
Each week’s text portrays the individual viewpoint of its author. They might not always resonate with everyone, and are not meant to be understood as representing the Anglican Church Freiburg as a whole. Yet, as a church that is aiming to ‘Build a Community of Grace’ we seek to practice learning from and listening to one another.
We pray that these humble ponderings add a small spark of blessing to your week.
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