Theme: “Soaring Like an Eagle”
Text: Isaiah 40:28-31
BY: Ezekiel, Oghenekaro
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Eagles are large, powerfully built bird of prey, with a heavy head and beak. One quality of the eagle is that eagles fly alone at a high altitude and not with sparrows or mix with other smaller birds. Birds of a feather flock together. No other bird goes to the height of the eagle. Eagles fly with eagles. Never in a flock. Eagles have strong vision, which focuses up to 5 kilometers from the air. The quality of the eagle we shall be considering in this discussion is its ability to soar in the storm. The Eagle is the only bird that loves the storm. When clouds gather, the eagles get excited. The eagle uses the wings of the storm to rise and is pushed up higher. Once it finds the wing of the storm, the eagle stops flapping and uses the pressure of the raging storm to soar the clouds and glide. This gives the eagle an opportunity to rest its wings. In the meantime all the other birds hide in the leaves and branches of the trees.
Eagles’ wings are connected with strength. God spoke by Moses to the children of Israel on this wise — “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto Myself.” Here God’s almighty power, displayed in the deliverance from Egypt, and with all the varied privileges of Israel, is compared to the strength of eagles’ wings. In Deuteronomy 32:11,12 it is said, “As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, So the Lord alone led him, And there was no foreign god with him. Carrying them on its wings,” Here the eagle’s wings are brought before us in connection with the support of the young, but at the same time with the purpose which the parent bird has in disturbing her nest and her young, namely, to teach them to provide and to fly.
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 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. Isaiah 40:28-31 (NKJV)
This passage is written to people who are broken and weary and ready to give up. The children of Israel were captives in Babylon and all that they knew and all that they have loved seemed long gone. They have cried out to God and find themselves sitting there, waiting for God to do something. They know that only God can change their circumstances because they have tried everything they knew how to do and have failed again and again. They find themselves waiting for God, crying out to God, and on the verge of losing faith that God hears them or that God will respond.
There are times we find ourselves in sitting there with similar feelings. We find ourselves in moments like this as people and we find ourselves in moments like this as a church family. These moments are hard and stretch us to our limits. We find ourselves in situations where we have done all we know how to do and it is still not enough. We find ourselves in the middle of a moment where we do not know which direction to go. We find ourselves caught in a cycle that ends badly every time, but we do not seem to know how to break the destructive cycle.
Life is sometimes tiring, to say the least. You can easily become exhausted, giving in to what seems inevitable or giving up on what appears unchangeable. It has been said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” (General George S. Patton). When you are exhausted, you want to quit. Everything feels more difficult. Responsibilities weigh heavier than they are; tasks seem more complicated; schedules are more burdensome; problems seem bigger, less manageable. You just “don’t feel like it,” whatever it is. Sometimes you just have to keep on keeping on. There are things you can’t just quit; there are some things you must not quit. Remember, “Quitters never win”.
A message arrives for the people waiting in Babylon from Isaiah. He has a word for them – and a word for us – that can change everything. I can only begin to imagine what it would have been like to be a part of that group hearing these words for the first time. I imagine that some thought Isaiah might join them in their lament for better days gone by. I imagine that others might have expected this great leader to offer them a game plan – a way out of the mess they were in. He brings them a very different word. We hear him thundering words of challenge as the passage begins; Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. Isaiah wants them to remember – wants them to think through every conversation, every message, every time when they had been told about the nature of God.
Their walk with God was not to be defined by the moment they were in. The moment they were in was to be defined by their long walk with God.
Isaiah reminds them that God is the God of history – the God of before it all began, the God of forever, and the God of everything in-between. He paints a powerful picture; God is the everlasting God, God is the Creator, God is the God of the ends of the earth, God is the God that does not grow weary, and God is the God who knows them and knows their needs. “His understanding no one can fathom.” Older translations read “His understanding is unsearchable.” The immediate image that comes to mind is the power of internet search engines that seem to be able to help us find out something about everything. But these words are even more powerful than the idea of an all knowing God. Isaiah is instead telling them that God has a heart- felt – love driven -sympathetic understanding of the needs of His people.
The text tells us THREE FUNDAMENTAL THINGS ABOUT THE GOD WITH WHOM WE DEAL:
- 1. GOD IS AWARE!
To a people tempted to be impatient, forgetful and of little faith Isaiah said: WHY DO YOU SAY, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my just claim is passed over by my God?” Why do you think that way? Why make such a reckless charge? “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. There is no searching of His understanding.” God is aware! He is aware of that which befalls His people from day to day.
Did you hear that? God, the Creator of everything – the God who was at the beginning and is the God of forever – knows your name and knows your needs! He knows our needs! He knows them before we offer the first prayer. He knows them because he knows us. Isaiah passionately pronounces that God is still there with all of the might and all of the power they need. These are words that they – and we – need to hear. When we find ourselves sitting there, broken, wounded, and weary- we are in exactly the kind of place where God moves in and brings restoration. God knew that they were in exile – struggling – hoping – on the edge of giving up. God knows when we are at the end of our rope. God knows when we have nowhere else to go. God knows and God stands ready to respond. We may be surrounded by all manner of unsympathizing hostility. And we may find ourselves tempted to indulge the fretful, distrustful spirit. We may be apt to think, “God has forgotten me … He has passed me by!” But whatever our inadequate emotions and reactions may tell us, GOD IS THERE, AND AWARE. “The Lord knows the way of the righteous,” (Psalms 1:6).
- 2. GOD IS ABLE
“Have you not known? Have you not heard?” Isaiah inquires of us. “THE EVERLASTING GOD, THE LORD, THE CREATOR OF THE ENDS OF THE EARTH, NEITHER FAINTS NOR IS WEARY. There is no searching of His understanding!” One manifestation of the frailty of man is the futile, humanistic practice OF PROJECTING UPON GOD the weariness and weakness common to us. We get tired and want to quit, so we figure God gets tired and wants to quit. WE FIGURE WRONG!
Jehovah neither faints, nor is weary! There is a vastness about the reach and depth of His power that’s overwhelming. It is simply unthinkable, with reference to Him, that He should “faint or grow weary,” especially in regard to covenant promises! Nor, for that matter, is there lack of insight with regard to the issues that confront Him; for “His insight is unfathomable.” “THERE IS NO SEARCHING OF HIS UNDERSTANDING.” Not only does He not lack strength! HE SUPPLIES IT. “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.” Even young people get tired and faint; some may even “utterly fall.” But the Creator, “neither faints, nor is weary.”
- 3. GOD IS AVAILABLE
He is available, to renew the strength of “those who wait” on Him. In faraway Babylon, there came the news of Cyrus’ decree, that the Jews were free to return home. At this news those who had been waiting for Jehovah would soar to heights of joy, as they anticipated a happy homecoming. A rush of preparation for the journey would follow. But, before arriving home, there would be a long trip from Babylon to Jerusalem. YET, with trust in their God, they would mount up with wings like eagles, run and not be weary; walk, and not faint.
So shall it ever be. When first converted to Christ, arising from the waters of baptism, there is the joyous enthusiasm and hope of heaven. We rush to prepare for the journey, soon to discover A LONG SOJOURN OF TRIALS AND TESTINGS; temptations, successes, failures; dark days that seem wearisome and monotonous. Yet – for those who wait on Him, God is available to renew their strength… that they too might mount up with wings like eagles … run and not be weary; walk, and not faint.
God is available, to renew the strength of those who wait on Him. One might inquire, “WHAT
DOES IT MEAN, TO WAIT ON HIM?” Let us understand that this is not a passive thing, where you do nothing, and ask for everything, then wait for it to be handed to you. That’s not waiting for Jehovah. NO! That’s pleading with Satan to devour, and take advantage. To wait on Jehovah means SINCERE AND STEADY DEPENDENCE ON HIM, WITH AN OBEDIENT TRUST – and no misgivings about His faithfulness, in doing what He says … NOR ABOUT OUR NEED TO OBEY HIM. Leupold – in his commentary says – “…to ‘wait for the Lord,’ … is merely a synonym for faith
... It means to lean heavily on the Lord for strength.” AND THIS CANNOT BE DONE, without faith and obedience.
CONCLUSION
There would be the temptation to grow weary; to ascribe to God the weakness of man; to charge God with indifference to their plight. To discourage and hopefully banish that disposition – Isaiah gave them these words (Isa. 40:27-31).
GOD IS AWARE!
GOD IS ABLE!
GOD IS AVAILABLE!
The God of all of creation does not grow weary of loving you – God that knows you and knows your needs – God knows us as a church family – and God stands ready to move. God is ready to lift you up – to lift us up to soar like the eagles – but our flight begins in humility and on our knees.
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