A Flap, A Flurry and a Flutter

"And when the vultures came down on the carcasses Abram drove them away."
~Genesis 15:11

A few evenings ago, right about dusk, I was walking Blue (our Mastiff) down a winding dirt road near the house. Peep frogs were singing their lullabies to the moon while fireflies kept the rhythm with their tail lights. It was a gorgeous summer evening. I was singing praise songs as we walked along, "Shout to the Lord all the earth, let us sing! Power and majesty, praise to the King..." Life was good.

Blue and I stepped beneath a canopy of interlocking pine boughs. My praise continued, "Mountains bow down and the seas will roar, at the sound of Your Name! I sing..." Out of the sunset arose a flap, a flurry, a flutter and gobbles all over the evening sky! My praise had frightened a gang of wild turkeys out of the pines where they had roosted for the night. You never heard such a commotion! I hollered. Blue barked. And God smiled. He was about to teach me something.

The Lord reminded me about the covenant He made with Abraham - the same covenant that is now ours. The account is found in Genesis, chapter fifteen. In order to seal the covenant between Almighty God and, ultimately, all of mankind, there had to be a blood sacrifice. God told Abraham to bring Him a heifer, a female goat, a ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon. Abraham was to cut the animals down the middle and place each piece opposite the other. God and Abram would then pass between the animal sacrifice to covenant with each other. Remember? "I will be your God, and you will be My people."

Verse eleven reads, "And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away."

Vultures. Vultures that wanted to destroy the evidence of the covenant agreement between God and man. Abram had to drive them away.

How many times do the vultures of Satan circle around waiting for the opportunity to swoop down and destroy a promise God has spoken to our hearts? Do we sit back and watch, or do we drive them away?

Well, turkeys may not be vultures but I venture to say that they are just as ugly. My praise frightened the turkeys away. They tucked in their tail feathers and flew, gobbling all the way over the mountain ridge. Praise did that.

Could it be that praise will drive the vultures away from God's promises too?

Now that's something worth pondering.

Father, You tickle me when You show me things like this. Those turkeys scared me to death! Thank you for using them to teach me more of Your truth. You are so awesome. I love You, Lord. Teach us to praise. Teach us the power of praise and the joy it brings You. And teach us to understand the fear it puts in the vultures of Satan. Bless You, Father.