The Cardinal

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound is so familiar in our house now. A female cardinal repeatedly knocks at our bathroom window every 20 or 30 seconds during the day. Sometimes, she starts at dawn and is my wake-up call. Other times, she appears later and moves to an upstairs bedroom. 

Her consistency is curious and her behavior puzzling. Does she see her reflection and is protecting her nest? Or is she determined to find her way inside? From our vantage point, her ritual seems to be exasperating. In that way, she reminds me of the Israelites, who were also stuck in a pattern but theirs was of complaining, defiance, and consequence. 

Tap. Tap. Tap. 

The cycle was so entrenched, they spent four decades wandering in a wilderness before God would allow them to enter the land He had promised for them. The Israelites are no different from you and me. We can get lodged in thought patterns that send us wandering in a wilderness of our own making. Our minds can go in circles attacking phantom enemies and longing for people and places that aren’t God’s best for us.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Paul addresses this very human tendency in his letter to the Romans: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (12:2). 

Seeking God’s will is breaking out of the ways of the world and its drumbeat that reverberates in our heads.

Proverbs 3 tells us, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes …” (5-7).

When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River to finally enter the Promised Land, they camped on the plains outside of Jericho. The city itself was a fortress, enclosed by tall, imposing walls. If the Israelites were to enter into this land, they would have to take Jericho. And as nomads, they had to solely rely on God. He gave them instructions to march around the city once every day for six days. Then on the seventh day, He told them to march around the city seven times  and to shout when their priests blew the seven trumpets.

Joshua 6 doesn’t chronicle any complaints, any defiance. This time, the Israelites obeyed, and to their amazement, the walls of Jericho came tumbling down.

God’s very specific instructions weren’t a magic spell or a strategic play. Out of His goodness, He created a ritual so that the Israelites could participate in this miracle and experience His glory. Our complete reliance on God centers us in His will, where He can do His best work. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). The ESV Study Bible says that “ask” implies humility; “seek” connects our prayers with the pursuance of God’s will; and “knock” suggests perseverance.

We can ask and ask God again for the desires of our heart. But if our wants don’t match His, His denial may be our protection, or He may give us over to our own desires if the fallout will lead us back to Him. But seeking His will and persevering in our ask draws us closer to Him, where we can hear His heartbeat. And over time, our heart will beat in rhythm with His.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Let’s pray.

Dear Jesus, thank you for my little cardinal friend and the illustrations she has inspired today. Teach us to seek your will so that when we knock and knock, our ask is bold and aligned with you. Show us when you are interrupting our useless patterns, and when you are creating your own to break down walls for our good and your glory. Grant us the gift of faith so that we can trust you with all of our heart. Amen.