An Animal Parable
Ask the animals
and they will teach you
Job 12:7
I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father.
And I will do [I Myself will grant] whatever you ask in My Name [as presenting all that I AM], so that the Father may be glorified and extolled in (through) the Son.
[Yes] I will grant [I Myself will do for you] whatever you shall ask in My Name [as presenting all that I AM]. — John 14:12-16 AMP
The Three Doves
By Harrison Woodard
Based On Actual Events
An office park doesn’t seem like a nice place to call home. But this was no ordinary collection of buildings. Each three story glass building was surrounded by native shrubbery and flowers. A stream ran between the buildings connecting several small lakes. A walkway flanked by towering Magnolia trees linked each building with the others. Patches of Pin Oak and Crape Myrtle trees made this a paradise for the three doves that lived there.
Their names were Ashley, Jacey and Tilly. With all the seeds, insects and plants nearby, they never strayed far from their favorite tree. But on one particularly beautiful day, they decided to sun themselves on the little bridge in the center of the office park.
“What do you want to do today?” asked Jacey.
“Do?” replied Ashley. “Can’t we just enjoy the warmth of the sun?”
“I agree with Ashley,” said Tilly. “Let’s just enjoy the day that God gave us!”
They all laughed.
Up above a hawk was making slow circles looking for dinner. The doves had not noticed him. In fact most of the birds were busy hunting food and were not paying attention at all.
The Blue Jays were the first to notice the danger. They began shouting among themselves to get their young back into the safety of the trees.
Since the noise was behind them, the doves ignored it.
“Wouldn’t it be great to enjoy the sun without the Blue Jays making all that racket?” asked Ashley as she closed her eyes and stretched her neck.
The other doves cooed in agreement.
Ashley opened her eyes just in time to see the hawks shadow below the doves. The others were looking away.
“Everybody fly!” shouted Ashley.
All three doves shot off the bridge and dove down to gain some speed. As their parents had taught, they immediately split off in three directions, hoping the hawk would not be able to focus on just one bird. But this hawk was a veteran. He locked on Tilly and followed her every turn.
The doves had been out in the open and too far to reach the safety of trees. Tilly could hear the hawk behind her and knew she could not outfly him. Instead, she would try to lose him by the office buildings.
She made a sharp turn around one building and snuck a peek back to see the hawk right on her tail. She made another quick turn and everything went black.
Ashley and Jacey made it back to the safety of their Pin Oak. They waited for several minutes, but Tilly did not return.
They knew exactly what they had to do. They closed their eyes and thanked God for protecting their friend.
Just as they finished, Tilly arrived and landed next to them. She was a little ruffled, but safe.
“You will not believe what happened!” said Tilly.
Tilly did not even give the others a chance to ask.
“We all seperated, but the hawk kept following me,” explained Tilly. “I thought I could lose him by the office buildings, but I turned without looking and ran into the glass. When I woke up, I was flat on my back.
Ashley and Jacey looked at each other and back at Tilly.
“What happened to the hawk?” asked Jacey.
“I guess when I turned, he pulled away. When I woke up, there were some birds chasing him away. I was a sitting duck if those Blue Jays had not been after him.”
“That is wonderful,” said Ashley. “We’re so glad you are safe.”
“But that is not all that happened,” said Tilly.
The doves were a little surprised, but waited for the rest of Tilly’s story.
“When I woke up I was a little woozy. There was a human standing over me. He pointed at me and said, ‘In the name of Jesus, be healed!’ And then he just walked away.”
“Wow!” exclaimed Ashley.
“He didn’t stay to see if you were well?” asked Jacey.
“No, he just walked away. I guess he had enough faith to believe that whatever he says in the name of Jesus would happen,” explained Tilly. “The next thing I knew my vision cleared and I wasn’t dizzy anymore. I rolled over and stood up. I tested my wings and everything was working fine. I just started praising God and flew here to find the two of you.”
“That is some bold faith,” said Jacey.
“Can you imagine what the world would be like if all humans had the faith to use the name of Jesus like that?” asked Tilly.
The next day the hawk was back circling overhead. But the three doves weren’t scared. They knew God had their back.
THE END
Something To Think About
As a Christian, you have been given the name of Jesus to heal the sick and conquer all the power of the enemy. God has delegated His authority and power to those willing to believe in Jesus. But to effectively use the name of Jesus, you need to understand all the power behind that name and your right to use it. And remember, nothing is impossible if you believe!
Here are a few words of encouragement from the Bible in confession form. Read these out loud every day and remind yourself of the power invested in the name of Jesus. Click on the link to read the verses as they appear in the Bible.
I can ask God for anything in the name of Jesus and He will do it and bring glory to God. – John 14:12-14
I can ask the Father anything in the name of Jesus and He will give it to me. – John 16:22-24
Jesus is my Lord and Savior. There is no one else or no other name that can save me. – Acts 4:8-12
God raised Jesus and gave him a name above EVERY name. At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven, on earth and under the earth and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. – Philippians 2:9-11
I go to God with bold confidence and receive whatever I request because I obey His commandment to love others and I believe in the name of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. And because I love, I live in fellowship with him through the Holy Spirit that lives in me. – 1 John 3:21-24
Here are some examples of people using the name of Jesus in the Bible.
Luke 10:16-20 – Acts 3:1-16 – Acts 4:1-12 – Acts 4:23-31 – Acts 16:16-18
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