Driving Out Darkness

I love all of God’s creatures including crows. But today, we’ll use their less than desirable attributes for a spiritual analogy.

Crows set up camp in our courtyard. They also hit our neighbor’s vegetable garden, pecking at the tomatoes and pulling up the plants. Because I received from the overflow, I was doubly sad.

They were in large number one day: on the bird bath, on the bird feeder – here, there, and everywhere. When one of them started pulling at my flowers, I headed out. This is what caught my eye. As soon as the flock of crows flew out, a little sparrow flew in and landed on the bird bath. A few seconds later a hummingbird arrived.

Crows can be mean and destructive, even to each other. When the crows were present, there was lack of concern for others, chaos, destruction, bullying, and backbiting (literally). But when they left, the area went from looking like a scene from a horror movie, to a place of beauty and right purpose.

Our God drives out darkness and those things that harm in order to make way for His order that provides for spiritual safety, joy, and righteousness. If He says we should throw something out, we should throw it out. He provides refreshment and knows what hinders it. Acts 3:19-20a says,

“Repent therefore, and turn back,

that your sins may be blotted out,

that times of refreshing may come

from the presence of the Lord…”

Sin is like those crows. It wreaks havoc, while hindering the way of order and beauty.

Lord, drive out any sin or darkness that we’ve allowed in our lives, so that we may live our true purpose in Christ; gardens that glorify You.