Soaring Like Eagles

Chuckle: Flight attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you will think of us."

Quote: "Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible." --Corrie Ten Boom

"But those who (wait on) 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 NIV).

I loved flying from the first time I boarded an airplane, and became a pilot during my military career. As I soared among the clouds I always felt a unique sense of freedom, strength, and peace. I felt free from the restraints of earth and the daily challenges and obstacles of life on the surface. Sometimes I would power back the engine and enjoy the relative quiet as I glided through the air and thought about what it must be like for an eagle to soar quietly, effortlessly, and unrestrained on the rising air currents.

In our passage, God recognizes that we will become tired and frustrated from the demands of life and from pursuing goals that sometimes seem too high to even hope to accomplish. But, His message to us is that we serve a loving and powerful God who is never too tired or busy to listen to us as we turn to Him for help. He stands ready to renew our strength and take away the stresses of life that crush us and make us feel as if we can't go on.

Waiting on the LORD is the eager but patient expectation that God will make good on all the promises in His Word by giving us strength to rise above life's challenges and difficulties. It means complete trust in God in every circumstance. It also means that God does not merely renew our failing strength, but exchanges it for His unfailing strength. Those who trust God discover a new source of power for living. Here are His further promises.

"The LORD . . . does not become tired or need rest. No one can understand how great his wisdom is. He gives strength to those who are tired and more power to those who are weak" (Isaiah 40:28-29 NCV).

If you feel tired and defeated by life's problems, remember God's promises. He stands ready to lift you up and help you to soar high above the difficulties facing you. He wants to set you free by drawing you closer to Himself. As you "draw near to God, He will draw near to you" (James 4:8) and you will sense the strength and freedom depicted by the soaring eagle. However, God's strength is available to us not only when we feel like soaring or running, but as we faithfully walk (plod) along through life with Him.

Love, Jerry & Dotse