Last night I watched a documentary by David Attenborough about eagles. He had filmed eagles (I forget which species) that migrate to Africa every year. One of the most spectacular shots was of these eagles flying over Israel. They find the thermal updrafts and catch them with their wings and glide mile after mile with very little effort. They can go for 3,000 miles without stopping to rest, because they expend very little energy. They are carried by the thermal updrafts, not their brute strength. I can picture Isaiah watching them down below thousands of years ago. He writes, "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" (Isa. 40:30-31). From the perspective of this view of God's creation, God is not saying that we will somehow find the strength within ourselves to carry on, for an eagle that tries to flap its wings for 3,000 miles will fall out of the sky in exhaustion. Rather, he is saying that those who "wait" on the Lord will find themselves lifted up by God's strength and carried by His wind. The rushing "wind" of the Holy Spirit came upon the church in Acts chapter 2, carrying the weak and helpless band of 120 people throughout the world spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Spirit is still with his church today - but we are too busy trying to find strength within, refusing to admit our own helplessness, and trying to "carry on" in our own power. May God be pleased to lift us up by His Strength before we fall out of the sky.
Top
