Revcort's Ramblings

Scripture Focus

“He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, the LORD alone guided him, no foreign god was with him.” — Deuteronomy 32:10–12 (ESV)

Devotional Thought

As you begin digging into the song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32, there are many themes worthy of our consideration. Some repeat lessons Moses has been teaching Israel throughout the book. But here in verses 10–12, Moses gives us a particularly beautiful picture of God’s relationship with His people. He describes God as an eagle caring for its young—stirring up the nest, spreading out its wings, catching them, and carrying them.

Before we consider the stirring of the nest, however, notice how Moses describes God’s care for Israel. God “encircled him,” “cared for him,” and “kept him as the apple of his eye.” Israel desperately needed to understand that everything God had done among them had been consistent with His loving purposes for them.

They didn’t always see it that way. Throughout their wilderness journey, the Israelites complained to Moses, Aaron, and just about anyone else who would listen. At times, they seemed convinced that God had brought them into the wilderness only to let them die. They questioned His provision. They questioned His leadership. They even talked about returning to Egypt. From their perspective, their circumstances sometimes seemed like evidence that God had abandoned them.

But Moses looks back over those same wilderness years and says, in effect, You misunderstood what God was doing. He was loving you all along.

Then Moses introduces this fascinating picture of an eagle that “stirs up its nest.” An eagle’s nest is a place of safety and security for its young, but they weren’t created to remain there forever. Eventually, they must leave the security of the nest and learn to use the wings God gave them.

That picture certainly fits Israel’s story. Think about how much of their history involved God allowing the comfortable and familiar to be disturbed. Joseph was sold into Egypt. Eventually his family followed him there. Generations later, Israel found itself enslaved and crying out for deliverance. Moses was content with his life in Midian until God called a reluctant shepherd to stand before Pharaoh. Then Israel left Egypt and entered a wilderness where they had to depend upon God day after day.

Ironically, Israel sometimes wanted to go back to Egypt. They remembered the food and conveniently forgot the slavery. But imagine what they would have missed if God had simply allowed them to remain where they were.

There would have been no Red Sea crossing. No manna from heaven. No water from the rock. No encounter with God at Horeb. No journey toward the Promised Land. Sometimes God stirs the nest because we have become too comfortable staying where we are.

The same can be true in our lives. Most of us like the nest. We like circumstances we understand, routines we can predict, and situations we can control. But as long as we insist upon remaining in the security of the nest, we may never learn to fly. We may never discover what God can do through us. We may never learn the lesson that will prepare us for the next challenge or become the people God is shaping us to be.

But we must not miss the rest of Moses’ picture. The eagle doesn’t simply stir the nest and abandon its young. Moses says it goes about “spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions.” The same God who disturbs their comfortable place is also the One beneath them when they fall.

That’s what makes this such a beautiful picture of God’s work in our lives.

God’s purpose isn’t simply to make us uncomfortable. And we shouldn’t assume that every difficulty we experience was directly sent by God just to teach us a lesson. But we can trust that nothing we face is outside His sovereign care. Sometimes He allows the nest to be stirred because He knows there are places we need to go, lessons we need to learn, and purposes we will never fulfill if we refuse to leave what is comfortable.

And when we discover that our wings aren’t nearly as strong as we thought they were, His are.

Perhaps your nest is being stirred right now. Something familiar has changed. Something comfortable has been taken away. God may be leading you somewhere you never would have chosen to go on your own. You may even find yourself asking the same kinds of questions Israel asked in the wilderness.

Remember the whole picture. The God who stirs the nest is the God who “encircled him” and “cared for him.” He is the God who kept Israel “as the apple of his eye.” And when the young eagle begins to fall, He is the God who spreads out His wings, catches it, and carries it.

Sometimes God removes the security we’ve grown comfortable with so that we discover our real security has always been Him. The nest may be stirring. But His wings are still beneath you.

Reflection Questions

1. Is there an area of my life where God may be allowing my comfortable “nest” to be stirred?

2. Have I ever looked back on a difficult season and realized that God was caring for me even when I couldn’t see it at the time?

3. Is there something God may be calling me to do that I have resisted because staying where I am feels safer?

4. How does knowing that God both challenges and carries His people change the way I view my present circumstances?

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You that Your care for me does not disappear when my circumstances become uncomfortable. Forgive me for the times I have mistaken difficulty for abandonment or have wanted to remain in the safety of what is familiar rather than follow where You are leading. When You stir the nest, help me trust Your purposes. Give me courage to follow You beyond what is comfortable, and when I discover that my own strength is not enough, remind me that Your wings are beneath me. Thank You for loving me, carrying me, and faithfully guiding me. In Jesus’ name, amen.