SOARING WITH EAGLES

“Now have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And those who have no might, He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. But those who wait on the Lord, Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:28-41)

This verse begins talking about who God is, He is the everlasting Lord, Creator of the earth. He doesn’t faint, He doesn’t get weary, He gives power to the weak. Then the verse contrasts God with teenagers, “..even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young shall utterly fall.” Normally, when people talk about teenagers, they are seen as an example of strength, energy, and vitality. Yet, the verse uses the strong vitality of youth to contrast our limited strength and energy with His unlimited strength and energy. It’s almost like this verse is saying, “You know those youth, with boundless energy and zeal for life? Well, even the best of them will eventually wear out, but, I am the Lord, I never get weary.”

How does this Bible verse encourage us? It’s good to learn about the nature of god, But what is the practical application for us here? Let’s consider the encouragement found in verse 31, “Those who wait on the lord shall renew their strength.” The word wait means to wait, hope for, look, expect. Psalm 63:1, “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” When many people hear the word “wait” they often think of a passive sitting back kind of waiting, but this isn’t what it says. It’s an active seeking after, looking for, expecting to meet together with the Lord.

The second meaning of wait is to collect, or bind together. This binding describes what is done when someone braids a girls hair, the two or three strands of hair are bound together. That’s what it means to wait on the Lord. To bind your self together with Him in intimately in prayer.

What will happen when we begin to wait, look for, hope, and expect the Lord in prayer? We shall renew our strength; we shall mount up with wings like eagles, we shall run and not be weary, we shall walk and not faint. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Come to Jesus in prayer, wait on the Lord, look for, hope, expect, and then bind yourself to Him. When you do you’ll find in His rest a strength that will have you soaring with the eagles.