Day 303 The Vultures are Circling

 

10/30/2026

 "Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain."

Psalm 127:1

 

For the past two or three weeks I've been outside attempting to get the yard cleaned and the new shed painted. I love to paint, but this shed has been a nightmare in so many ways. I'm not a painter, but I have painted my house, and even the outside many years ago when I wasn't timid about climbing high. Still at the risk of falling off the ladder, we did enlist the support of a friend who was a house painter, among his other talents. So since then I've limited my painting to walls and my art work. I always paint trim first before tackling the main job, which may be counter to what a true painter would do, but as an artist, I am able to draw a straight line, and I can do fine work near the edges where the two colors blend quite easily. With this job, however, the edges are rough and sanding is impossible, so that's makes it much harder not to slop paint all over the place. My son thought we should paint the shed first before the trim - wrong, but I allowed him to have his way. Now I'm cleaning up the mess. I'm also the one on the ladder, as my son has medical issues and a fear of heights, so being the acrobat in the household, I inherited the task.

For several days while painting I noticed that vultures were circling overhead. At first I thought my cat Alex was on the menu, but they soon disappeared, and Alex showed up to eat. But this went on for days. Finally, I looked up to the sky and asked the vultures if they knew something I didn't. After all I'd been to the doctor for blood work, and my doctor had shown concern over my recent CT scan. So I laughed, but I became curious about the habits of these scavengers and decided to research their habits. I found that vultures ride the rising columns of warm air that allows them to remain in flight without expending energy while they scout for food. Birds are amazing creatures anyway, but I wouldn't think that a vulture had delicate, thin wings, but they do. God is a master creator! When I went back outside the next day, the little rascals were circling, so I greeted them cordially, but I reminded them that I was living, so I would not be on their menu. Soon they lost interest and flew away. I imagine if the neighbors heard me laughing, talking to vultures they were wondering about my sanity. I already give them plenty to think about as it is.

My research also revealed that there are spiritual meanings given to seeing vultures circling. Traditionally it "symbolizes transformation, patience, spiritual renewal, and the natural cycle of life and death." Alternative views suggest that in folklore this action can be a warning or call to watch out for possible harm or malicious intent. There are other suggestions leaning towards interpretation of dreams and other mystical interpretations. The imagination can take us to places we dare not go. 

While natural predators do exist in our natural world as part of creation, they serve a God-created design and plan just as all creatures and birds of the air and fish and critters of the seas and oceans. God's creation blows my mind and a deeper respect for our Giver of Life. But there are human predators and those who are within our nation who are posing as wolves in sheep's clothing and predators in the pulpit. David Wilkerson of blessed memory wrote a book about deception creeping into our churches, and Jesus warns that many will come in His name, but they are false prophets, teachers, and pastors. He warns of things to come before His return for the church. He calls us to be busy for the Kingdom but conscious of the snares of the enemy.  

"And Jesus answered and said to them: 'Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying "I am the Christ," and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.'" (Matthew 24:1-14) 

Anyone who reads what Jesus told the disciples will note that these things are happening today, increasing daily. As we approach the mid-term elections, the behind the scenes work of opposing parties and factions have been secretly engaged in unthinkable, intensely evil strategies intended to destroy our government system and our nation as we know it. They want to rewrite our Constitution, get rid of our Senate, as well as an entire list of plans that have been in the works for years, and all of it is public information. My heart is broken to think that we have elected leaders in office who want to destroy America and have a socialist/communist government. That is not what America is. These people say all the right things for the trusting people who think these leaders mean what they say, the ones who are not alert to hear what is truly being said or bothering to check out the truth. And that is truly disheartening. I have always been a trusting person, hoping people mean what they say, but I have learned that this simply is not so, even in the church. There are pastors running for office who are compromising the Word of God. How can that be? Truly these are the last days, as the days are darker each day. 

This reminds me of an episode of the Star Trek series, Into the Darkness, where an evil man and his followers, threatened civilization based on revenge and a lust for power. It's never really for the good of all, only for the benefit of the few. Captain Kirk was making a speech to christen the new starship, and he gave the following speech:   

"There will always be those who mean to do us harm. To stop them we risk awakening the same evil within ourselves. Our first instinct is to seek revenge when those we love are taken from us. But that's not who we are. We are here today to rechristen the USS Enterprise, and to honor those who lost their lives nearly one year ago. When Christopher Pike first gave me his ship, he had me repeat the Captain's Oath, words I didn't appreciate at the time. Now I see them as a call for us to remember who we once were, and who we must be again. And those words: Space the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Her five year mission: to explore the strange new world, to seek out life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before." 

The Captain spoke from a heart of integrity and a longing to live a moral life, fulfilling the purpose given to those who were entrusted with preserving a civilization and the hope of including other civilizations for the common good. There was no malice or evil intention, just good will and freedom, a world where men lived in unity and shared a common dream. Where neighbors helped each other. Perhaps I'm adding to the text here, but this is how I feel when I think of how our lives should be lived. But we can never live a moral life, one of integrity and concern for others, until we know the God of creation, the one who created us in His image and who desires to have fellowship with us. The one who said the two commandments were to love our neighbor as ourselves and to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. Our nation was established on His principles, and they are the best ones. Our leaders took oaths based on the words of the Constitution. But there are those who have infiltrated our nation and who have influenced the weak minded into believing the government is illegitimate, failing, broken, when there are wicked people undermining every action taken, setting traps and deceiving people. What is happening in France and other nations was not caused by school children. It was carefully planned years in advance, people brought in, their plan of action to destroy a country set in motion. It foreshadows what has been put into motion in our nation. We need to wake up. 

I read a quote that said "Human institutions never work. God's work lasts forever." We can do nothing with God's influence in our lives. May we wake up before it's too late. The vultures are circling.