The Raven or The Dove
23 June 2022
“Our voluntary thoughts not only reveal what we are, they predict what we will become. Anyone who wished to check on his true spiritual condition may do so by noting what his voluntary thoughts have been over the last hours or days… Toward what has his inner heart turned when it was free to turn where it would? When the bird of thought was let go, did it fly out like the raven to settle upon floating carcasses or did it like the dove circle and return again to the ark of God?” A.W. Tozer, “Born After Midnight”, Chapter 10 “To Be Right, We Must Think Right”.
I never really thought about the raven and the dove in the story of the Great Flood during Noah’s time.
“What is the difference between the raven and the dove?”, I asked the Holy Spirit.
His answer:
The Raven
It fed on floating carcasses and was self-sufficient, self-centred. It forgot about the other living creatures, waiting in the ark, as the flood covered the earth for months.
The Dove
It circled and returned to the ark (the huge vessel Noah was commissioned to build for many years), with a green twig in its beak. It did not forget the others waiting for the good news that the flood waters had receded; life has returned and it was safe to go out.
For me, it was a good reminder that in my self-sufficiency, not to forget to bring the good news to others who are still hanging on in the dark.
A week ago, I brought it to my dying 100-year-old father-in-law who had rejected the good news over the years. The Holy Spirit led me to pray for God’s mercy and I shared with him one more time, while closely watched by my staunchly Buddhist brother-in-law who frowns upon Christians sharing the good news at one’s deathbed.
He wasn’t able to speak already. I saw fear in his eyes as he acknowledged my presence. He has been hanging onto to his life dearly for days. Only after the third time when I told him about the Lord’s offer to take him home, the Holy Spirit said I could leave. He passed on about two hours later. I believe that he has been received into the arms of Jesus.
Yes, a raven or a dove.
Thank you, Holy Spirit, for helping me to be the gentle dove, even when things look impossible and formidable.
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