WHY THE EAGLE?

If you have seen the soaring eagle on my blog site, you may have wondered why I used that image. Keep reading for the reason!

The story is told of three friends who were hiking together; Jerry, Pete and James. Exiting a wooded area, they came to a large meadow with a small body of water. Hearing an unfamiliar but rather loud sound, they walked toward it. They soon discovered a disconcerting sight. A bald eagle was on the ground, a leg lodged in a trap. The three friends devised a plan to try to free the eagle. Pete would seek to distract the bird. Jerry and James would slowly crawl to the bird and pry open the trap. After all, they said, eagles were not supposed to be trapped on the ground. The boys executed their plan very carefully. While Pete did his best to be a distraction to the bird, Jerry and James approached the trap, crawling on their stomachs. Together they methodically pried the trap apart and immediately watched the eagle take off in flight and ascend higher and higher.

They were all overcome with enthusiasm and emotion, as they knew that is what eagles were created to do -----SOAR high above the ground!

The Prophet Isaiah spoke of mounting "up with wings like eagles." In chapter 40, verse 31, Isaiah declares: "they who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles". This verse is the foundation for my blog site; hence the picture of the soaring eagle and the title of the blog: SOARING EAGLE INSPIRATIONS.

Notice the image of the eagle; see the feathers on the tip of each wing. Those feathers are unique and are called "flight feathers". Yes, indeed, eagles are meant to rise high in the air with power and authority. With their great wings, they are equipped to SOAR with tremendous strength and might, fully capable of withstanding a great force or pressure. Instead of being hindered by adversity, they head straight into the adversities of flight using those adversities to SOAR. As they soar, an observer will see their beauty and magnificence. Their very presence brings amazement to the onlooker.

Isaiah 40:31 is a great promise to those who desire a word from God. Let's examine the context of this promise. In the first twenty-seven verses of the 40th chapter, the prophet describes the sovereignty, power, authority and character of God. Fox example, verse 12 says: "Who has measured the waters in the hallow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens. . .? " Verse 10 reads: "See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. . . ." In verse 15 we read: "Surely the nations are like a drop in the bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust." (all quotes are from the NIV) Again in verses 25-26, we read: "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens; who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing." (NIV)

Therefore, Isaiah declares this truth: "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the ever-lasting God. The Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom ." (NIV)

So stands God's promise recorded in verse 31. The Israelites first received this promise. They were exhausted and beaten down from their many hardships as they had lived as exiles in Babylon for 70 years. They had experienced oppression, discouragement, despair and hopelessness. They were weak in body and in spirit. They no doubt thought God had totally abandoned and forgotten about them. They probably felt God either could not help them or that He did not want to.

But, through Isaiah, God had a word of promise. In essence, he says: You may grow faint and weary, but God does not! "He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength". (Isaiah 40:29 - NIV)

We know God is strong, but is He strong for me? We believe God is powerful, but does He use His power to help me? God is love, but does He care for and love me? Here is what we know for sure -----The ever-strong, all powerful, compassionate and never-weary God loves to help the weak, strengthen and bless weary people, including you and me!

This is God's responsibility and He fully fulfills it every time. That is who He is; that is His holy character! But we have a personal responsibility also that we must fulfill in order to receive from God His power and strength so that we "mount up with wings like eagles". Our responsibility is to "WAIT on (or for) the Lord". We don't like to wait; we want to be served right now, without delay. We want instant gratification. But waiting on or for the Lord is key to mounting up as eagles.

To WAIT on or for the Lord does not mean twiddling our fingers, passing the time away and doing nothing! It does mean to be in His Word (the Bible), pray, seek FIRST His kingdom and righteousness and place our trust in Him. It does mean to confess any sin, our need of Him, to acknowledge our weaknesses and our faint condition. It does mean to admit we have little or no strength and believe we need the strength that only He can give. There are times when we need physical strength, emotional strength and we always need spiritual strength to fight against the "principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places". (Ephesians 6:12 - KJV) WAIT on or for the Lord, and you will receive!

I know this truth! Christians (those who are born again by the Holy Spirit and follow Jesus in obedience) were never meant to be caught in the traps laid out for them (bound up in the lies and deceptions of the devil). Rather, God means for His people to SOAR as the eagle in the power of His Holy Spirit! Are you soaring?