Eagle Lecterns

This past year, our theme verse in Moms in Prayer International was Isaiah 40:31, “...the strength of those who wait with hope in the Lord will be renewed. They will SOAR on wings like eagles. They will run and won’t become weary. They will walk and won’t grow tired.” (GW)

 

In researching eagles, I came across some fascinating tidbits of information. Did you know it was quite common for church lecterns centuries ago to feature an eagle? Its outstretched wings were for holding the Bible. Many were designed from brass, others from carved wood. Often the eagle's feet rested on an orb, scepter and crown to represent the majesty of Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 1:17), like the one below of St. John's Stone Church in Scotland, and some include a snake in the eagle's talons, like the one at St Benedict Biscop in Wombourne, England.

Lecterns at St. John's (left) and St. Benedict Biscop's (courtesy of Internet)

 

It seems the most prominent reason for the use of an eagle was to represent the Apostle John and his Gospel, which begins "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1 NKJV) This gives credence to the comments of others, one of which says that the eagle represents the Word of God soaring to the ears of the hearers.

 

But the first explanation that I found was that the eagle was a visual reminder to churchgoers of how the eagle has eyes to see and conquer the snake in the grass, which is a reminder of God's power over our enemy, Satan. In fact, this is the reason given by the unknown writer of a paper on the Church of St. Benedict Biscop, "Eagles have long been symbols of strength and divine inspiration. If you look carefully you can see that our eagle has a snake in its talons. A reminder of how good, the word of God, can triumph over evil, the snake."

 

God's Word has power to overcome the enemy—our enemy and our children's enemy.

 

The Bible underscores that there are two things God honors above all else:
His name and His Word.
"For you have exalted above all things your name and your word,"...Ps. 138:2.

Prayer spiced with God's Word is prayer exalted.

Joni Eareckson Tada

 

Praying moms, when we use God's own Word in prayer, we are speaking over our children in the hearing of the enemy the Word of the Most High God, the King. We are speaking triumph into their lives.

 

Are you not seeing triumph? Don't quit!

 

Proclaim the Word of the Lord over your child. Speak it clearly, out loud. Gather others to do it with you. An easy way to do that is to join or begin a Moms in Prayer group.

 

Click here, https://www.momsinprayer.org/groups/find-a-group, to find out if there is one for your child's school. Whether it says yes or not presently, fill out the form, and hit send. Someone will contact you to help you get started. Or, just ask me.

 

“Isn’t my word like fire or like a hammer that shatters a rock?” asks Yahweh.

Jeremiah 23:29 (NOG)