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One Pastor's Ponderings    

"Soaring on the Wings of Eagles"  

March 4, 2010 

Eagles are spectacular birds! I love watching eagles soar around with their massive wingspans and swoop down on unsuspecting fish or rodents. But the thing that I find most intriguing about eagles is their unique ability to soar. 

Soaring is not the same thing as flying. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, soaring is “the act of gliding while maintaining altitude…or ascending by utilizing ascending currents of air.” 

At the end of Isaiah chapter 40, the Prophet Isaiah speaks about how God is pleased to strengthen the hands of the weary and faint of heart. Isaiah 40:28-31 says, 

“28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for 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." 

In January of 2009, just prior to entering the biggest trial that our family had ever faced, a friend of Karla’s sent her some encouragement from something she had once read in Discipleship Journal.  The article was about eagles and their wings.  

Did you know that eagles’ wings are too heavy for them to fly efficiently? Their wings are actually too big for their bodies.  So in order to get to those great heights where they build their nests, they have to jump out and spread their wings and catch an air current that will lift them up. 

They cannot flap their wings efficiently because of the weight.  They must trust in their ability to catch ascending air currents and then glide along as it lifts them up.  Talk about a leap of faith!   

Karla’s friend Shirley closed by writing, “Trust God to lift up those heavy arms and He will carry you to the heights of faith, prayer, perseverance and trust that you need to carry you through this trial.” 

Guess what. Shirley was right. God did provide strength for the weary and fresh legs of faith for those who felt themselves to be faint of heart.  

But I guess that’s just what the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, is in the business of doing. Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God. And so, my friends, even if you feel weak and powerless today, know that God is with those who are with Him, and He empowers us to “utilize ascending currents.” When you see things from the heights of a soaring eagle, it makes the view from ground level seem very small. 

Seeking to Soar on Wings Like Eagles, 

Pastor Mike 

Quote of the Week   

“God the Father takes the pen, dips it in the blood of his Son, crosses off the sinner’s accounts, and blots them out of his debt-book.”

~ Thomas Boston