UPHELD BY THE SPIRIT, WE SOAR THROUGH LIFE IN THE WILL OF GOD
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Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. – Isaiah 40:31 –
Christians are called to soar… to rise above life’s battles and worldly cares. Not in their own strength, but in the power of the Spirit. Not with faith in themselves, but with faith in the Almighty God.
Consider the eagle… Eagles will always choose to soar. When they flap their wings, they expend a tremendous amount of energy. Soaring is aerodynamic and highly efficient. Eagles can soar for miles, conserving their strength and lengthening their flight time.
Our faith is the way we soar. In our Christian journey, we place our trust in the Lord who lifts us above the world. If we find ourselves weary and burdened, perhaps we’re “flapping our wings”, trying to do life apart from God. As we cast our cares upon the Lord, He lifts us above our circumstances.
You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. – Exodus 19:4
Eagles make their homes in high elevations… on mountaintops, tall cliffs and riverside bluffs. They wait patiently in their aerie until the upward rise of a thermal wind appears. A quick leap with outstretched wings… and they glide effortlessly through the air to their destination.
The Holy Spirit is the wind beneath our wings. When we step out in faith, we are caught up in the updraft of the Spirit and carried along in the will of God. What once seemed impossible becomes effortless when given to God. We are freed from the world and we soar through life.
Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft. – Deuteronomy 32:11
Eagles are devoted, protective parents to their young. Yet they know the critical importance of learning to fly. When the eaglets are ready to fledge, the parents stir the nest, removing its soft lining, thereby making it less comfortable. This encourages the young to test their wings. The parents circle around as the eaglets first attempt flight, ever ready to catch them when they falter.
Our protective God lovingly watches over us. Yet He understands that our faith must grow strong. We must learn to “fly” on our own. He may “stir up” our lives, awakening us from our complacency. For it is in the difficult times when our faith matures. Yet He is always ready to rescue us from danger, ever present to catch us when we fall.
While other birds were taking cover, the eagle was soaring. An eagle would never fight against the storms of life. – Karen Kingsbury
When storms arise, eagles fly fearlessly into the turbulent winds while all other birds seek shelter. They are buoyed by the updrafts and upheld by the wind under their wings. They use the air currents to glide higher and higher until they are flying above the storm.
In Christ, we are more than conquerors. We need not fear the storms that arise. We overcome our fear by faith, rising above the storms of life by the strong presence of the Lord. God will lift us higher and higher, buoyed upward by His mighty power. We come to see the storms from His perspective where they no longer appear threatening.
If we only surrender ourselves utterly to the Lord, and will trust Him perfectly, we shall find our souls ‘mounting up with wings like eagles’ to the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, where earthly annoyances or sorrows have no power to disturb us. – Hannah Whitall Smith
Let us cast aside all fear and take that leap of faith to fly above the storms of life. Let us trust the Lord wholeheartedly. Just like the eagle, we can have utmost faith in our Lord to uphold us and protect us. For He has anointed us to soar.
† Eternal Takeaway – God calls believers to soar above life’s troubles by His power †
