Waiting to Pounce

         Our chickens love it when we leave them outside for a little free-ranging time. We let them run around a couple of times a day when we move them in between the coop in the barn and their outside fenced enclosure.  The compost pile is their favorite place to forage for scraps of food. Oreo, our cat, loves to watch them. She sits with her ears perked up and her long tail twitching, just waiting for the right moment. She waits until one chicken is left all by itself, and then she occasionally charges. I think she's dreaming of a fresh chicken dinner.

    Last week, I had my trouble sleeping for the first time in a long time. Three days in a row, I found myself awake at tr four in the morning after nursing our baby with a tight, panicky feeling in my chest. I began thinking about how I will get all five kids to sleep quietly in two bedrooms. I began thinking about smaller living quarters and wondered if all of the things we have will fit. I'm using nice words like "wondered" and "began thinking" but "worried" and "panicked" are closer to the truth. By Friday, I was exhausted. While I ran, I asked God what was up with all of these feeling. He reminded me that Satan lies in wait looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). He brought to memory what He'd done in the past two years of my life...all that He'd provided. He hasn't gotten any smaller. He's just as capable as He ever has been. I was limiting Him with how I was thinking about the situation. Just because He hasn't answered my prayers the way I've prayed them lately doesn't mean He hasn't heard them. It means He has something better planned than I could even conceive of. It means that He is in control, and I am not.

          I think a lot of my restlessness was a deliberate attack by Satan. He was sitting there like Oreo, waiting to pounce. He was feeding me negative thoughts as fast as I could swallow them, fattening me up for the kill. He sat there and watched, waiting for the perfect moment when I'd be alone. The middle of the night can definitely be a lonely time. What he didn't know is that I'd be sharing my concerns with my Owner, that I'd believe His positive thoughts,  and I'd bring a few hens back with me. As soon as I talked to God, I started to feel a lot better. I asked Him to take control of my thoughts, and fill me with His Holy Spirit.  I also told Satan where He could go to. Friday went so much better after that. My burden was lifted...I was no longer carrying it.

          I have seen Oreo go after one chicken when it is alone; the chicken shows extraordinary flight skills for a couple of seconds and escapes to her group of hens.  However, when there are several chickens together, they rule the yard; and the cat just watches. It may appear that they are oblivious to the lurking would-be predator; but actually, they have fun of their own, charging the cat together at the opportune moment. Will you be my hens to support me in prayer and help me get Satan on the run. This coming week is going to be a busy one. We are scheduled to move to our new home on September 6, in a little over a week. I'd be happy to join you as well. Just leave what I can pray for you for in the comments below...or e-mail me or shoot me a text.