Some adventurous folks start their chicken farm from eggs. For our first batch, we decided to get pullets – chickens that were younger than a year old. However, where there is a rooster and a hen, usually fertilized eggs appear. The experienced chicken farmer learns which hen lays which eggs but beginning farmers have to wait for a hen to brood.
Usually, the broody or the hen who is broody just sits. all. day. long. She will not roam the yard looking for bugs and worms; she will not be pecking at others unless they come bother her. She will not spend much time, if any, at the water bowl. At first, the inexperienced chicken farmer may think she is sick. However, the opposite is quite true: she is quite well! She is keeping the fertilized eggs at just the right temperature. Designed by God, she knows when an egg is too warm and she’ll scoot it gently to the outer edge of her wing span. If the egg is too cool, she’ll scoot it closer under her body. She will not leave those eggs even if the humans bring delicious food scraps to the chicken yard. Sometimes, when the human is not looking, she’ll sneak eggs from another nesting box and slide them gently under her body. This feat is amazing if one realizes that the edge of the nesting boxes is over two inches high! She stops all unnecessary activity and focuses on the success of those eggs.
Christians often hear that term brood in church as someone prays, “Holy Spirit, brood over us tonight” but never stop to ponder that word. The word has several shades of meaning one of which is “to sit on”; surely, in prayer, the Christian is not asking the Holy Spirit to sit on him!
Another meaning is “to sit on to hatch, as in make the young come out.” Maybe this shade of meaning can apply somewhat to the Holy Spirit’s brooding – He stays with the Christian until heaven is reached but He can communicate with the willing Christian until “the young come out” – until growth occurs, so that growth can occur.
Another meaning is to “focus attention on a subject persistently.” A Christian best be ready if he prays for the Holy Spirit to focus His attention on him persistently, for He will!
Is the Holy Spirit brooding over me concerning a certain sin that I refuse to give up? Concerning a particular co-worker that I must reach out to? Concerning an extra financial gift I must give? Concerning investing more time and energy into my prayer life?
Am I brooding with God? Is there a time every day when it appears that I’m just sitting, doing nothing, but actually I’m reading His word, telling Him my stories, listening to Him tell me His? Is my brooding with God producing any growth? Have I stopped all unnecessary activity and focused on one essential concept of Him so that I may grow?