soaring with perspective

Isaiah 40:31 - But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.

I have been studying this verse and having conversations with God about it for a few months now.  It led me to start studying the Eagle itself.  I knew all about their beaks, and talons, and the very impressive eyesight God created them with.  And their wings!  Their massive beautiful wings are what most anyone recognizes in an Eagle.  Let’s talk about those wings and the Eagle’s confidence in them.  

What I did not know is that when a storm is coming, the Eagle will actually WAIT for the winds to hit and sets itself so the winds pick it up and lift it ABOVE the storm.  

All other birds seek shelter when a storm comes.  Not the Eagle. The Eagle uses the storm to fly above it and then avoids it all together.  Did you read that?  The storm is raging below, and the Eagle is looking down onto the storm.  Can you imagine the perspective above the storm? 

The sun is shining.  

The storm is smaller.  

It is peaceful.

However, there is no place to stop and rest.  The Eagle is committed to seeing the storm finished.  He was made for this.  He was made to soar and mount up.  

God wants to make you and me like this.  He wants us to wait for Him and expect Him.  Don’t be consumed by the storm and only see directly in front of you.  Trust Him, wait on Him, and let your very hope be rooted in Him.  Take your eyes off of what He isn’t doing, and begin to list those things He has done in the past.  Remind yourself by looking back and recalling God’s faithfulness. 

God cares about the littlest thing to the greatest things.  Last Spring I was hiking with friends through God’s beautiful Porcupine Mountains in the Upper Peninsula.  We were taking a rest and admiring a beautiful waterfall we came across, and a friend shared that he had just asked God to see an Eagle.  And right then and there a beautiful Eagle flew over us.  Just effortlessly gliding through the sky.  How neat is that?!  God wants us to know he hears us, sees us, and delights in us when we expect Him to show up. 

If you are in the middle of a storm in life, ask God to strengthen you -- to work out in you what He needs to, so you can soar and lift your wings up and become close to Him.