Soaring Stones

Many interesting pieces of artwork are to be found on the Whitman College campus in Walla Walla, Washington. Some of these cause the "unsophisticated" to shake their heads perplexed. This is a photo of one of them, "Soaring Stones"—a series of 6 granite boulders in ascending heights on stainless steel (mirror-like) columns. A comment I found online said, "The stones ascend, as if taking flight."

 

With "soar" on my mind after a recent Moms in Prayer International Getaway, learning this sculpture's name gave me a new appreciation for it and brought to mind some Scriptures. Among them are:

 

Isaiah 51:1—tells us to look to the rock from which we were hewn, which many think refers to Abraham's and Sarah's faith to walk in covenant with God. The Wycliffe Bible puts it this way: "Hear ye me, that follow that that is just, and seek the Lord (Listen ye to me, ye who follow what is right, and seek the Lord). Take ye heed to the stone, from whence ye be hewn down, and to the cave of the pit, from which ye be cut down. Take ye heed to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, that childed you (who gave birth to you); for I called him, (when he was but) one, (or without an heir,) and I blessed him, and I multiplied him."   As Paul wrote in Galatians 3:7, all who live by faith in the Lord are children of Abraham—stones.

 

1 Peter 2:4-5—through our faith, we are called living stones.

 

My trail of thinking led me to the conclusion that our faith also makes us soaring stones.

 

Because it's faith—waiting in hope—that we read about in Isaiah 40:31, “...the strength of those who wait with hope in the Lord will be renewed. They will SOAR on wings like eagles...”

 

Faith opens up your wings so you can soar, even if you are a stone, since faith gives us the invisible support of the Father's wings. That's why those columns of the sculpture were made of stainless steel—to be like mirrors and, thereby, invisible.

 

Waiting with hope is an action of faith that believes the sovereign, loving character and promises of God, even when things look hopeless.

 

Praying mom, are you not yet seeing the answers to the prayers you've been passionately bringing to the Lord? Wait in hope by trusting Him.

 

When we humbly place our trust in Him, Jesus Christ is our strength. He has the power we need to live in victory, to soar, while we wait.

 

In fact, as 1 Peter 5:6 reminds us, it is when we actually act like stones, humble before God, that He lifts us up.

 

Soaring is a choice. Let's choose to SOAR!