I believe it was in our last bible class that I told you I came across a compact disc of C. L. Franklin, Aretha's daddy, preaching about the eagle stirring up her nest. I bought the tape because it brought back a flood of memories from my teenage days (yes I was once a teenager) when I used to spend my idle time scanning the radio dial (and yes they had radio then) in Ohio. That was my first introduction to Rev. Franklin and his now famous sermon, "The Eagle Stirreth Her Nest."
I have never been one to steal sermons and I'm not stealing this one but I do want to visit that text in Deuteronomy and see what the Lord has to say to us.
"As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:…" Deut 32:11
The eagle is a special bird known for its strength in its wings, legs and feet. It is also unsurpassed in the winged world for its exceptional vision and its ability to soar at dizzying heights. It is not the highest flyer. There are certain species of geese that fly at aircraft altitudes, in the thirty thousand foot range and can cruise for thousands of miles nonstop when migrating. That is incredible. But the eagle, unlike the geese, makes his home in the highest of cliffs and tirelessly cruises in the thermal air currents without flapping its wings. At altitudes of thousands of feet it is able to spot a mouse in the field and can dive at great speeds and with its strong talons can grab a fish out of the water or swoop down on a young calf and take it away to its nest.
When building a nest for its young, the eagle begins by assembling sturdy branches and twigs for a foundation, It then progresses to finer, more tender branches and lines the nest with soft leaves and feathers. The nest must be strong enough to support her weight and the weight of her young which may be several chicks. The eagle is a very caring mother, taking care of her chicks until it is difficult to distinguish the young from the mother in size. But when the time comes for her young to fly the eagle does something quite unusual; she begins stirring or dismantling her nest. That means it's time for the babies to leave the nest and begin to fend for themselves. It means it's time to fly. As the eaglets begin losing nesting room they begin flapping their wings, strengthening them for their maiden flight. As their home dwindles in size, some of the chicks are forced take flight. For those who are not fully able to soar solo, the mother never lets them fly alone. She flies close by in case they should fall from the sky. If they begin to sink she positions herself below them and actually bears them up on her wings until they are able to fly on their own. One thing is for sure, they cannot go back to the nest…it no longer exists.
The eagle symbolizes God in our lives. We would never venture out in faith and leave our comfort zones in life were it not for the fact that God stirs our nesting place where we live and forces us to fly. If you find your life coming apart at the seams due to no real fault of your own, its only God acting on your behalf to bring out the abilities his word has trained you in. From the reports I keep getting and from the prayer requests I receive, I would say to you: "It's time to fly."
By: Stephen Benton
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