“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.”
That is it. Nothing more, nothing less. “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.”
And so day one of my week-long vacation begins. Desperately needing rest and spiritual renewal, the backyard is an inviting place to start. Getting reacquainted with my Creator seems more likely in a lawn chair next to a cornfield rather than a Lazy Boy with a remote control within reach.
So here I am in the great outdoors, ready to seek the Lord and find out where oh where has my energy and positive attitude gone? What is the deal with the almost daily headaches? And then there is the depression, the straw that broke the camel’s back. Are the headaches causing the depression or is the depression causing the headaches?
While the amateur doctor in me really wants to know the root cause of these health problems, the bottom line is it does not really matter. Only one thing matters this week, and one thing only: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.”
It is surprisingly cool in the shade and everything I need is in the grass at my side: My favorite Bible, a glass of ice, a bottle of water and sunglasses. Oh, and then there is the Sudoku book in case Scripture and the presence of the Lord are not enough.
It becomes clear early on that the theme of day one is that of birds: Just a few minutes into seeking God’s face a bird poops on my arm. Looking up, the culprit is nowhere to be found. When healthy, this dastardly act would spark anger (righteous anger, of course). However, being mentally, physically and spiritually exhausted, the only emotion that comes is amusement.
Determined not to be sidetracked, I wipe the stuff off my arm and begin looking up all the cross references for Matt 6:33, the key verse of the week. While many verses and passages are encouraging, none seem to meet the cry of my heart.
Then bird number two enters the picture: A hawk soars effortlessly overhead, not once flapping its wings. Like a sailboat on a windy day it uses the wind and uses it well. Who needs to flap when God provides all the energy that is needed?
At that moment I instantly know what God wants to communicate to me. Hawks make me think of eagles and eagles make me think of a passage in Isaiah 40.
Isa 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
Isa 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Isa 40:30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
Isa 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (v 29). There it is in a nutshell: I am currently “weary” and “weak” and desperately in need of “strength.” Now, more than ever, my mission is to “hope in the LORD” (v 31).
It is clear that in terms of ministry I need to be more like that hawk. Yes, he flaps his wings in order to become airborne, but once there he relies on the wind that God provides to propel him. By relying on the wind vs. his wing power the hawk can fly for great distances. I, too, want to fly great distances for the Lord in terms of ministry.
Perhaps I have been guilty of doing too much flapping and not enough soaring. Maybe that is why I find myself in this position of weariness and weakness. Maybe that is why I am in such urgent need of spiritual renewal.
While reflecting on this insight, I am reminded of my three areas of God’s giftedness: Preaching, teaching and writing. In order to soar more and flap less, it is important to focus primarily on these areas at the expense of others. While ministry in a small church like mine requires a diverse skill set, using one’s spiritual gifts is of utmost importance.
But then there is the challenge of flapping less and soaring more when doing these three activities. How, exactly, does that work? While it almost certainly means more quiet time with the Lord vs. sitting in front of a computer screen, does it not also logically mean that less ministry is done? Could it be that while quantity may suffer quality and effectiveness actually goes up? Is that what it means to soar like a hawk in ministry?
In addition to much-needed strengthening, there is also much to learn over the next several days. The key to success in both areas is the same as before: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness."
Fornately, the rest of the verse goes like this: "And all these things will be given to you as well.”
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