Arise

Song of Songs 2:10-11 “My beloved spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.””

As I write this I’m overlooking a valley with a beautiful lake and the sparkling blue sea in the distance, just beyond it. Yesterday I was in this same spot and watched a majestic fish eagle circle just above me, it’s familiar cry piercing the cloudless sky.

I was intrigued as to why it was gliding in circles, seemingly effortlessly reaching higher heights. Then I learned that they have a unique ability to take advantage of a weather phenomenon known as thermals. Birds fly in circles to stay within the thermal to reduce the amount of energy spent during a flight. Thermal columns are created by the uneven heating of surface areas which then causes a rising mass of buoyant air.

As the fish eagle glided past me, I pondered on what God has been speaking to me about – rising up. Rising to meet Him. Rising to take His hand and walk in my purpose. Rising out of my comfort zone and into all that He has called me to.

There is a collective call to arms taking place at the moment.  And just as Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter to life, taking the little girl by the hand and saying: “Talitha koum!” He is calling his daughters to rise up from a deep sleep and actively step into the kingdom role that He has been preparing for you.

As the eagle uses the warm thermal columns to lift it ever higher, the fire and wind of the Holy Spirit is there to support our rise to glorious new heights. The Fire of the Holy Spirit stirs our passion for Him and refines our hearts to keep us pure before God. The Wind of the Holy Spirit reminds us of His presence, blowing new life across our paths to refresh us and to renew our hearts.

We can run inside when we see the wind start to pick up and blow the leaves off the trees, or we can choose to run into the wind and into His presence and embrace the new life He wants us to rise into.

My prayer is that we will see Jesus with His outstretched hand, eager to help us get up and soar above the world below us as we listen to the whispers of the Holy Spirit. The time has come, and we cannot lie down again anymore. There is a special role that only you can play and Heaven is waiting for you to accept it. Will you rise to the occasion?