Wings Of An Eagle

WINGS OF AN EAGLE

ISAIAH 40:31

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

The 40th chapter of Isaiah appears to be a prophecy in two parts, or for two separate times in history. The thrust of the text are for both: those would undergo Babylonian captivity and spiritually those who are in captivity to sin. At the time of the writing, God speaks comfort beforehand, for those who would eventually suffer the results of Babylonian captivity. This text is relevant to us today as it was in time of Jeremiah. Those who wait on the Lord (today) 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. The promises of the text are predicated upon whether or not we are willing to wait on the Lord. Thus, it is essential to understand the meaning of the word wait as used in the text. The word as used in the text was "qavah" (Kaw-vaw). "Qavah" means, "to wait upon" but it also means, "To bind together (by twisting)." Those who wait upon God are in a sense willfully binding themselves to God’s will, confidently expecting His plan to produce the best possible results. Waiting on God does not mean simply watching the time until God delivers. The English word "waiting" can be equated with the act of serving. Waiters serve you in restaurants. They take your order, and attempt to get it for you. Now, observe the waiter does three things in a restaurant: First, they prepare to serve you. Second, they seek your will. Third, they execute your will to your satisfaction. Thereafter, you the beneficiary in most cases will tip the waiter for quality service. Don’t you know that if we wait upon God, He too will tip us? Wait I say, up on the Lord.

Now, consider the tips for waiting upon the Lord.

I. Renewal of Strength (The Eagle renews his feathers annually.)

          A. Spiritual Renewal
          B. Physical Renewal
          C. Mental Renewal

II. Mount Up with Eagle Wings.

          A. Sees the storm beforehand.
          B. Prepares for the storm by flying to the highest point.
          C. In the storm, he locks his wings to mount up on top of the storm.                                Flapping his wings would be tantamount to struggling against the wind                  but locking his wings enables him to be wind-aided. The Eagle does more              than fly amid the storm; he flies on top of the turbulent winds. Let every                child of God mount up with wings of an eagle during their respective                   storms.

III. The Blessings of Eagle Wings.

          A. He flies with Purpose. (He was designed to fly) There are too many yards          birds in the church.
          B. He flies for Pleasure. (The eagle gets his greatest joy nearest the sun. The                     higher he flies, the smaller things on the earth become. In others words                   the closer he gets to the SUN the smaller earthly things become. It is also                true that closer we get to the SON the smaller earthly things become.
          C. He flies for Purity. When a virus attacks his beak, the eagle will soar high                   to allow the air pressure to burst the build-up.
          D. He flies for perspective. The high flight allows for the proper perspective                    of the earth. The higher the flight the larger the perspective.
          E. He flies for Peace. The flying eagle has no concerns about seas and rivers.          He doesn’t worry about earthly tormentors. Crows, buzzards, chickens,                      pigeons, humming birds etc., cannot rise to such high levels. Christians                       who mount up with eagle wings can enjoy that same kind of peace that                       liberates him from the yard birds of the church.

          F. Examples of yard birds:
                   1. Gossip birds. (Those who talk about the demise of others)
                   2. Humming birds. (Those who hum and murmur about everything)
                   3. Buzzards (those who eat dead stuff)
                   4. Crow (those who boast over the distress of another)

IV. How Do We Mount Up With Eagle Wings.

          A. Prayer enables us to mount up.
          B. Meditation enables us to mount up.
          C. Godly fellowship enables us to mount up.
          D. Heavenly thoughts enable us to mount up.
          E. Christ focus enables us to mount up.
          G. Bible study enables us to mount up.
          H. Sharing God’s goodness enables us to mount up.

Conclusion: You were made to soar with the wings of an eagle. But amid soaring, you may have serve with a towel in your hands. The trials of life often drain us of vitality and cause us to faint. But God has promised that if we wait upon Him, He will renew our strength. When the burdens of life confront you, mount up with eagle wings and fly to highest point; "there wait patiently upon the LORD."