A Falcon Spoke to Me! – Mary Henderson
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A Falcon Spoke to Me!

09 Aug A Falcon Spoke to Me!

Posted at 21:26h in Spiritual Perspectives by
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August 9, 2010

I love how God speaks to us in the most mundane of circumstances.

I was taking the trash out to the side of our house (definitely mundane!), and as I glanced into the back yard, I literally did a double-take. There, on the telephone wire running behind my house, sat a falcon, majestically holding that proud posture that they do.

I looked more intently, to be sure I was seeing right…a falcon-sighting isn’t a common occurrence in busy Orange County. Then, suddenly, I sensed a familiar nudging, God’s voice within me. He reminded me how, all through my life, in various situations, He has called my attention to birds to remind me that He is with me, overflowing His goodness and favor toward me. A little Matthew 6:26 reverberation: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

Looking at the falcon, I realized that God was calming me regarding something in particular I was anxious about: all the particulars of publishing a first book. I’ve been getting way too busy and tense in the process. God was reminding me that if He can take care of all the needs of all the birds, even placing a falcon right here in my back yard, He can take care of my book details. I just need to rest in Him.

I love that! I remember when I first came to know God, I was perplexed when I heard people, or the Bible, talk about hearing God’s still small voice. What did it sound like, and how would I differentiate it from my own thoughts, desires, or feelings?

These are legitimate concerns, and people can err on either side of a spectrum: thinking they hear His voice everywhere…or never listening for His voice anywhere. But with time, practice, and experience with the Bible and God Himself, we come to discern what Isaiah talked about: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21) And James: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)

One of the main problems is getting our attention. C.S. Lewis wrote: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains.”

I’m glad that, this day, He chose the “whisper” method. My encounter with the falcon was definitely a pleasure.