Eagles
"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." Isaiah 40:31
God has compared
us to a lot of things. For example, we’re described as being like branches on a
vine, or trees by a river, or a light on a hill; as sheep, as salt, as a runner
in a race; even a wrestler, or a soldier or, as the text implies - an eagle. And
God could have chosen a different bird. Take a chicken, for instance. Chickens
are crowd followers. If a chicken sees a bunch of chickens running across the
yard, he’ll take off after them. It doesn't matter that he doesn't know where they’re
going, or even why they’re going where they’re going. He simply follows along
because he doesn't want to miss out on the action.
Chickens will
also squabble and fight over stuff in the yard. For instance, if one of ‘em finds
a nice juicy bug to eat, suddenly they all want it, and they will chase each
other all over the yard trying to take it away from each other. In fact, they
can walk right past a bug or a grasshopper and pay absolutely no attention to
it whatsoever. But the moment one of them decides he wants it, they all decide
they want it and the chase is on. In other words, they’re content to live in
the chicken yard, walking around with their eyes on the ground, scratching in
the dirt looking for something to eat. Most of them will never try to fly –
they’re earthbound birds.
Living the chicken
life can never compare to living the eagle life. Chicken living is so limited;
so confining; so predictable; so boring. But the eagle’s life? Ah. Now, that's a
bird of a different feather. Because when we hear the word eagle, our minds
envision a majestic creature soaring in the atmosphere, effortlessly riding the
currents high above the earth. He’s the king of the sky, and master of his
domain.
Unlike
chickens, the female eagle is bigger and stronger than her male companion. They
mate for life till death parts them, and both parents sit on the eggs, guard
the nest, and feed and train the young. To the eagle, raising a family is a
responsibility that belongs to both parents. And an eagle is born with its eyes
and mouth wide open which keeps the parents pretty busy keeping that mouth
filled because the young eagle has an insatiable appetite; the eaglet knows that
when his mouth’s open, his parents are going to fill it with something good.
In Psalm
81:10, Asaph, one of David’s music directors wrote, "I am the Lord your God
which brought you out of the land of bondage. Open your mouth wide and I will
fill it." And just as eagle parents know what their babies need to eat to
grow, God knows what His children need to live. Matthew 7:11 says, "If you
then being evil know how to give good things to your children, how much more will
your Father in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?"
Interestingly,
the word eagle means “one feeding
with the beak.” What a wonderful typology of God – feeding His own by the words
from His mouth. Just as the baby eagles depend and live on the food received
from their parents’ mouth, so we depend and live on the food from God’s mouth.
Matthew 4:4 describes it this way: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but
by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."
In the eagle
world, eagles subsist only on eagle food; nothing else can take the place of
eagle food. It enables them to grow, mature and to become strong. Without the
proper diet, the eaglets will grow weak and sickly, and eventually die. And so
it is with us. You and I are to feast on God's food if we are to grow and
become strong and mature. Anything else - anything less and we grow weak and
die spiritually. Isaiah 55:2 asks this question: “Why spend your money on food
that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen
to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food."
Life in the
nest for the baby eagle is wonderful. Its mouth opens and is filled upon request.
“This is the life,” the eaglet thinks. “I could stay here forever.” But there's
something important that the baby soon discovers: eagles were born to fly. They
are meant to soar to heavenly heights; to breathe a heavenly atmosphere. It's
inherent in them. Their very nature demands it. It’s been placed there by God. So
the eagle tendency is to mount up. We, too, were made to experience heavenly
heights in the spirit; to spread our wings of faith and ride the heavenly winds
of the Holy Spirit. It's inherent in us. Our new nature, as believers, demands
it. It's placed within us by God. As children of God, there’s an inborn
tendency in us to mount up and soar to spiritual levels we've never experienced
before. Colossians 3: 1-2 says, "Since you have been raised to new life
with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in
the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not
the things of earth.”
One day, a farmer
was out walking around his property when he found an eagle egg. So, he took it
to the hen house and placed it under a setting hen that had several eggs already
under her. In time, all the eggs hatched and out the eagle came which, to the
hen’s way of thinking, was the oddest looking chicken she’d ever seen, and with
the oddest voice she’d ever heard. When the other chicks chirped, this one
screeched. When the hen clucked, all but this ugly one would come running.
There seemed to be no understanding between them; they spoke two different
languages. So, because he was odd, all the others picked and pecked at him. Of
course, he was odd – he was an eagle who was trying to live the chicken life.
But one day
while in the barnyard, a huge shadow passed over the little eagle: it was another
eagle soaring high above. He looked down and saw the little eaglet, and seeing that
it was one of his own kind, swooped down and gave a loud screech. The youngster
looked up and heard, "What are you doing down there? You're not a chicken,
you're an eagle. Eagles aren't made for barnyard living. The heavens are your
domain. Come on up here."
Now the little
fella wondered what to do. Up until now the barnyard had been home, but he
really hadn't been happy there. He just didn't seem to fit in with barnyard
living. Now, all of a sudden, the truth of who he was hit him like a ton of
bricks. He’d discovered his true identity. It had become crystal clear. He
wasn't a chicken; he was an eagle, and deep down inside he felt the urge to
respond. But when he tried, he couldn't seem to get off the ground. So the
adult screeched again, "Just make a jump and flap your wings. You can fly
if you try." So, the little eaglet made a feeble jump, flapped his wings
and landed on top of the barnyard fencepost. The adult screeched again, "Jump
higher; try again. Make the jump and I'll sweep under you and carry you on my
wings." The little eagle did what he’d been asked to do, and the adult did
what he said he would do. A mighty jump of faith and the little eagle was
riding on his “dad’s” wings on his first solo flight.
We are called
to be eagles, but many of us have been content to live the chicken life,
confined to the barnyard limitations of our spirit. A barnyard to the believer
is any attitude, any mindset, any lifestyle that restricts us from being or
accomplishing all that God has purposed for us to be. Our barnyard is that
comfort zone we like to live in because it makes no demands of us that will
challenge us to change. But God calls to us in our barnyard and challenges us
to spread our wings of faith and come higher. And, some of us respond and get
as high as the barnyard post and then settle there, feeling like we’ve really
accomplished something. But we need to take another jump of faith and set our wings
on the promises of God's Word and let the wind of the Holy Spirit lift us skyward.
But even
non-barnyard eagles have to learn to fly. And that’s when the mother watches
until all her babies in the nest are fully feathered. Then, when she thinks they’ve
sufficiently matured, she begins to "stir the nest." With her beak
she starts tearing out everything in the nest that makes it comfortable for her
brood, making the nest so uncomfortable that her little ones don't want to stay
there any longer.
She then
begins the process of helping them develop strength in their wings. So, she
hovers near the nest and begins flapping her wings furiously. As they watch her
do this the little eagles begin to imitate mom by flapping their wings, too. And
just before she takes her family out on their first solo flight, she’ll perch
on the edge of the nest and inspect them. Noticing they have loose feathers
sticking out all over, she begins to beat her wings again. Soon, all the loose
feathers have been blown away and they’re ready for their flying lesson.
Has your nest been
stirred lately? Have you found yourself experiencing the discomforts of the
stirring of your nest? Is there an awareness that something just isn't right,
but you're not sure what it is? Is your comfort zone being threatened since you’re
a person who doesn't like change? Have you considered that maybe it's God
stirring your nest? Maybe that’s His way of telling you that you've stayed in
the nest long enough and that He doesn't want you to be a nest-dweller all your
life. It's too confining; too limited. God doesn't want us to be a nest-sitters.
We were meant to fly. So, sometimes, God has to tear up the nest to get us in
the air.
Or, have you
experienced the strong winds of the Holy Spirit's convicting power blowing into
your life recently? Has God been dealing with those "loose feathers"?
Has He been speaking to you about things that affect your spirituality and drag
you down? Things you know you should be acting on, but are neglecting? Look up.
Be encouraged. It’s God working in your life to help you get rid of those "loose
feathers." He's getting you ready to mount up with eagles’ wings. He wants
you to quit fluttering around in the nest and learn how to spread your wings of
faith and fly.
Now, when mom sees
that the loose feathers are blown away, she spreads her wings and lets out a
screech. Somehow, the little eagles know that it’s a command to step out on mother's
wings and secure themselves with their talons and beak to her big, strong
feathers. Then, making sure her baby is securely set on her wing, mom lets out
another screech and launches off the edge of the nest. She climbs into the sky
while baby holds on for dear life. The baby’s never experienced anything like
this before. He's going places he's never gone before. She's seeing things she's
never seen before. It's thrilling.
But just as the
eaglet is having the time of its life, mom suddenly flutters her wings and
shakes the baby loose – right in the middle of the air – hundreds of feet from
the ground. It's solo time. But when mom shakes the little one loose, she just doesn't
say, "Well kid, you're on your own now; good luck and have a nice life.”
Instead, she slowly begins to circle around the surprised little eagle, keeping
a watchful eye on him as he or she flounders and flutters, trying to fly for
the first time. Furiously, the baby flaps its wings, turns somersaults, and does
everything to try to stay aloft, but gradually starts to lose altitude. But when
mom sees her little one get dangerously close to the ground, she swoops down,
snares her baby with her claw and carries him or her up to start the process
all over again. Each day she repeats this until finally the little eagle’s
wings have become strong and they’re able to stay aloft, soaring just as
effortlessly as the parent.
Maybe the two
wings of the parent eagle can be compared to the Word of God; both the Old and
the New Testaments. And the feathers can be thought of as the individual
promises found in His Word. God spreads His Word before us and commands us to
step out on it, grasping firmly to His promises. And just as the little eagle
experienced an unexpected shaking that caused him to lose his grip, even so we,
too, may experience a shaking of our faith that can cause us to lose our hold
on the promises of God. But that’s not the time to throw up our hands in
despair and quit. Because just as the parent watches over her brood to make
sure they don't crash to the ground, God watches over His own to keep us from
falling. He lifts us up to try again. "He shielded him and cared for him;
he guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest
and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries
them aloft. The Lord alone led them.” (Deuteronomy 32:10-12)
So, I’ve been
thinking lately – are we soaring like an eagle, or living like a chicken?
Grace,
Randy
