Isaiah 40:31 (CEB)

    but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength;
    they will fly up on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not be tired;
    they will walk and not be weary.


Reflection

The writers of Isaiah must have watched eagles soaring for hours. When you watch an eagle high in the sky, it appears to be soaring effortlessly. What you don’t see, is the amazing interplay of feathers and air currents. It takes eagles years to grow strong enough and to learn how to soar high above the earth. The condition of the eagle’s feathers is directly related to their flight accuracy. Over time, the eagle’s feathers need replacing. So if eagles don’t molt, they can’t soar. Molting occurs at less active periods during the eagle’s entire lifetime, renewing the feathers so that it can continue to soar. You can see why this image of the tireless soaring eagle appealed to the Jews who were waiting for release from captivity in exile and why this verse appeals to us today.

As children of God, we were created to soar, but we can’t do this by our own limited human strength and when we are weighed down by daily cares. We get so impatient when things don’t happen according to our time table. This verse is a joyful reminder that when we wait on the Lord, we will be blessed by God with the daily renewal of our lives and the renewing of our spirits.  What you don’t see in the moment is the amazing interplay of the Holy Spirit in our lives through the grace and love of God.

During times when we’re waiting on the Lord, like the eagle molting its feathers, we learn we can shed our anxiety, fear, impatience and anger. We learn to rely on and trust God with all our hearts and we are made strong for the journey. We learn to stop struggling and we learn to soar with God. While we wait, we serve others and in the process we grow in prayer and renewed faith. Over the course of our lives our impatient waiting turns into waiting with expectancy, hope and love.

By Jeneene Reduker


For Pondering & Prayer

Are you waiting on the Lord with hopeful expectancy? Maybe in this season of your life you are weighed down with many cares. God is always ready to bless us with renewal when we come to God shedding our impatience, fear and anger. Let the ever present indwelling of the Holy Spirit lift you up, renew you, strengthen you and give you peace.

Prayer: Holy God, our hope is in you. Bless us with your love in this moment. We come to you tired and weary from struggling on our own.  Fill us with your Spirit, renew us, strengthen us, and teach us to soar with you, for your glory. Amen.