Good morning, friends.
Our verse for today comes from Acts 10:11, “And he saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth.”
When you hear mention of a stork, there is one image that immediately comes to mind: the classic scene of a long, white bird gliding across the sky, his huge wings extended up and outward, those long legs trailing behind, and a narrow, orange beak holding a knotted blanket with a newborn baby in it. He may or may not be wearing a little delivery hat, and the blanket might be white, or the color traditionally associated with a boy or girl. But when you think of a stork, it usually conjures up the thought of a baby being delivered. And there are differing thoughts as to the origin of this legend of infants arriving on doorsteps as if ordered on Amazon. Perhaps it came from the Greek myth about Hera, the wife of Zeus. She became jealous of the mortal queen, Gerena, and turned her into a stork and sent her away. But Gerena didn’t want to leave behind her newborn child, so she wrapped him in a blanket and carried him along in her beak. Another possible explanation centers around the migration patterns of the birds of Northern Europe. They would head south to Africa around the time of the Summer Solstice, which was the most popular season for weddings, and they would return home nine months later, as many newlyweds were celebrating the birth of their first child. Whatever the reason, the stork has been unavoidably type-cast in its role as a flying delivery service.
When I envision the giant sheet of animals descending from heaven in Peter’s vision, I don’t see the corners tied together and an enormous Marabou stork coming in for a landing. But I do wonder if it being let down “by its four corners” is a reference to God the Father and God the Son each holding two corners as they transform Peter’s way of thinking and help him overcome his prejudice and arrogance. For you and me, though, the message is more likely to come through the four corners of a page of scripture, if we would spend enough time alone with it, concentrating and reflecting on its truth and our own pride and fallacies. There is no myth to the power of God’s Word, and there is no shortage as to how it can revolutionize your heart and mind. So, let God send you a message, and go from your old way of thinking to walking in the way and wisdom of the Lord.
As we seek Him today, expect the heavens to open and God to communicate with you.
Have a beautiful weekend.
#4 Rich Holt
Dad of Ripken, Koy, TrishaJean, Samantha, Kakie Holiday and Raleigh
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
