Soar on Wings Like Eagles

“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.“
(Isaiah 40:31) 

              Have you ever pictured yourself flying?  When I was little I would dream of being able to fly.  I would lie awake at night and think about where I would go and what I would see.  I pictured myself flying high above the beautiful scenery of the mountains, flying from one mountain top to another much like an eagle.

            The eagle is the king of the birds.  It is known for its speed, strength, power, and courage.  I am told it is a magnificent sight to see an eagle soaring high in the sky.     They can soar higher in the sky than any other bird with seemingly little effort by understanding the currents and how to use them to their advantage.  Further, it does not waste energy unnecessarily allowing it to fly for lengthy periods.

            Unlike the eagle we can waste energy unnecessarily on fear, guilt, anger and much more.  We focus on our circumstances and think that is all there is.   We get lost in our thoughts about how difficult our situation is.  We dwell in the past and wonder if the future holds anything better.  These thoughts take us captive and lead us into a pit of despair; a world without hope.  

            We crawl along the ground afraid to even look up.  To do so might bring broken dreams once again.  So we dredge along the ground not daring to hope for more.   Not believing anything better is possible. 

            There is a legend of an Indian brave who found an eagle’s egg.  He was unable to find the nest it belonged in, so he put the eagle’s egg in a prairie chicken’s nest.  The eagle was hatched and began to live with the prairie chickens.  As he grew up all he saw was chickens.  He saw the chickens scratch and peck around in the dirt and he followed their example.           

            Then one day the eagle saw something in the sky that amazed him.  High above him was a bald eagle majestically soaring through the sky.  He asked what was soaring high above.  One of the chickens said, “That is an eagle, king of the birds.  But you are a prairie chicken and you can never fly like that.”  So believing what he was told, he spent the rest of his life scratching around in the dirt.  He had the ability to soar but he failed to realize it. 

            Sadly too many of us are like that eagle.  We live our life scratching out an existence.  Our eyes our focused on the ground and we can only believe in what we told and what we can see.   The storms in our life batter us around, taking a heavy toll on us. 

            In contrast, an eagle knows when a storm is approaching.  It will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come.  When the storm arrives, it positions its wings so the wind takes it up above the storm.   While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it.  The eagle does not escape the storm; instead uses the storm to lift it higher. 

            We all can soar, but how?  How can we soar like an eagle above the storm?  In what way can we rise above the challenges and difficulties that come our way? 
            In Isaiah we read it is by placing our hope in the Lord.  Hope is the confident expectation of something positive going to happen.  When we sit down on a chair we have the confident expectation that it will hold us.  We do not worry whether it is strong enough.  We do not fear it will collapse.  No fear, no worry.  Why?  Because we have been sitting in chairs most of our life and have grown to be confident they will support us.  

            God wants us to expect Him to always be there to hold us.   We can only do this by experiencing His unfailing love for us personally.  

           An eagle learns to fly when the mother eagle pushes the timid bird from the nest high above the ground.  The bird will flutter and fall towards the ground.  The mother eagle will fly down, catch the young eagle and it will ride upon her wings.    As this is repeated the eagle grows to expect its mother to be there, bringing it to a place of safety.  Each time it gains confidence and becomes a little braver until it no longer it fears leaving the nest.  

            In Deut 32:11 it says, “He was like an eagle hovering over its nest, overshadowing its young, Then spreading its wings, lifting them into the air, teaching them to fly.”  God teaches us to fly by nudging us away from our comfort zone and letting us fall.   By doing so He teaches us not to place our confidence in ourselves but instead to rely on Him to be there to catch us.  Even though we are weak we fly safely on His wings.  And together we soar higher and higher.   Each time this happens we grow to expect that He will always be there for us and that we can put our hope in the Him.

           We begin the process by taking our eyes off our circumstances and our feelings and stepping away from all we know.  As we fall into His loving arms we learn to trust that He will hold us and carry us through our life’s situations.  We then begin to have a confident expectation that He will always be there for us.  As faith grows we rise higher and higher until we are soaring above the storms. 
 
             My friend, I urge you to take your eyes off the ground and focus them instead on God’s unfailing love for you. He is faithful and will protect you in the shelter of His wings.  As you grow in your knowledge of Him it is my prayer that you will step out in faith and put your hope in Him. 

I could sit with you and look upon your wounds          
I could lay with you as we gaze upon your scars
I could help you recall every image of the abuse     
I could help recall the moment your world was torn apart

I can run with you into the depths of sorrow
I can reflect the anger that is justified
I can echo the shame that you now carry deep within you
I can even honor the misery you try to hide
But my heart has fallen down before you
as it aches to embrace you with its strength
and now I long to lift you out of the darkness
and help you rise up in confidence
I want to hold you to myself forever
I want to guard you against further brokenness and pain
but I am only but one person
coming to you in our Savior’s name
All I can do is take the strength that He gives me
and wrap it in the love He sends to you
and offer it to you with one hope only
that you will come to see the beauty that is you
I want to take the shadows of darkness
and throw them into the pit where they belong
I want to bring you into the light that is so comforting
so you will rise once again and be strong
I don’t want to highlight the cruelty
that you have suffered over in so many ways
Rather I want to reflect the light of Heaven
and the heart of Him who offers you His grace
Child, rise up from the depths of darkness
step into the glorious light of the love that sets you free
to hell with highlighting the works of darkness
It’s time to live in victory
For God so loved you He sent His Son to save you
from the wounds and fears this world places upon your soul
He comes to you right in this very moment
and tenderly whispers, “My child, I love you so…”
Fear not the taunting voices of darkness
let Jesus enter into the prison that was once yours
He has come to take away the shame and sorrow
and detach you from the past once and for all
Child, come, rise up and walk free now
enter into the beauty of His love and light
step free from the chains of yesterday
it’s time to spread your wings and take flight

Poem by Donna Driver

August 7, 2009 By pathwaytoanamazinglife