Tuesday, April 1 - Isaiah 40:31

Here's another passage of Scripture that's up there in my top 10.  I love eagles and I love anything that puts the imagine of sports or running a race into my mind.  Not sure why I love eagles, but I can honestly say that I've been fascinated with them all my life, ever since I was a boy.  I was always a sucker for a picture or wooden statue of an eagle.  There was always some mystical feature about the eagle that made me connect with it.  

Here is this passage we see Isaiah, an Old Testament prophet, using the imagery of the eagle to suggest that God wants us to learn to depend on his strength so we can rise up and soar above all the trials and struggles of this world.  

In one translation it says, "Those who wait upon the Lord..."  That word "wait" implies the idea of serving, like being a waiter or waitress who waits upon a group of people to serve them their food and drink.  In essence this verse is saying that when we choose to serve the Lord, to wait upon the Lord, to work for His benefit, that He will be responsible to renew our strength when we are tired.  Furthermore, not only will we get enough strength to continue serving, but we'll get enough to actually soar like an eagle.  Here's a couple thoughts: 

1. Everybody gets tired, even when you're working for God.  Don't buy into the myth that if you're going after God with all that you've got that you shouldn't or won't get tired.  In essence, God is saying, "It's OK to be tired".  It's almost like a sign that you're really going after God if you're tired.  

Question:  Are you going after God with enough love and energy that it's tiring?  

2. When you get tired, God wants to be the source of your strength.  I can't tell you how many times I've been tired, but I've tried to continue to do things with my own strength.  What does that mean?  It's means I'm not dependent on God, but trying to figure it all out on my own.  It's the pride of thinking that I could do it better without God's help, strength, wisdom, direction, etc....  

Question:  Are you trying to serve God with your own strength?  

3. That last section is a promise about how you will perform in the race.  Don't read it the wrong way, it's not a promise stating that you will never get tired.  That's impossible.  It's a promise stating that God will renew your strength, give you fresh energy and vision, and keep you from falling so far behind in the race that you want to quit.  In a race, when a runner gets tired, their pace starts to slow down, they lag behind and sometimes slow down to the put where they are barely moving forward.  God is simply telling us that his provision of strength is going to keep us from being that runner.  That's good news!  We're going to be soaring to new heights, like an eagle, when we rely on God's strength and provision.  

Question: Do I have faith to believe that God has the strength to lead me to new heights in my walk with God?   

There's a ton more I could say about eagles and some of the spiritual lessons that we can draw from their life and practices, but we'll have to save that for another time.  :)

Have a great day!  

PE