On Eagles Wings For Web - Amazon Web Services

purpose of developing you. He is teaching youto trust Him. He is preparing you to fly. AndHe will be there to catch you if you fall.The Bible says, “As an eagle stirs up itsnest, hovers over its young, spreading out itswings, taking them up, carrying them on itswings, so the LORD alone led him”(Deuteronomy 32:11-12a). This passage ofScripture portrays Israel as a man in trouble,and it compares God’s care of him to a parenteagle’s care of a little eaglet just learning howto fly.15 When a young eagle is beginning tofly, it often begins to fall in mid-flight due to itslack of strength and experience. When thishappens, the parent eagle swoops down to stopthe fall “by spreading its wings” so the littleeaglet can “land on them.”16 The parent eaglethen carries the young eaglet on its wings andgives it another chance to fly, all the whilewatching from above, ready to come to therescue again if needed.So if you are experiencing restless feelingsor changing circumstances, don’t panic. Godhasn’t abandoned you. Just the opposite. He’scloser than ever. He’s stirring your nest. He’spreparing you for something new.He’steaching you to fly. And He’s there to catchyou if you fall. He’s your Father, and that’swhat He loves to do.12

2. God gives us an “inner ease” in life as wedepend upon Him.Even when flying at remarkable speeds,eagles appear to simply be gliding through theair. And actually they are. Eagles fly withsuch ease.An eagle’s wingspan isapproximately seven feet. This is what allowsthe majestic bird to soar without effort atphenomenal speeds to such great heights.Eagles primarily only “flap their wings” whenthey are taking off or pursuing their prey. 17 Inflight, they just glide. How do they do this?Interestingly enough, an “eagle’s wings arecharacterized by primary feathers which areseparated at the tips like the fingers of ahand.”18 These separations allow air to quicklypass through “enabling the eagle to fly almostindefinitely.”19 Eagles thus allow the wind tolift them higher and propel them onward.God wants us to experience that kind of easein life. While we certainly face difficultchallenges along life’s way, the Christian lifeitself is not supposed to be hard. The Biblesays, “The way of the unfaithful is hard”(Proverbs 13:15). By contrast, Jesus said, “Myyoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew11:30). In other words, as we follow God anddepend upon Him to meet our needs, our livesshould be characterized by a certain ease.13

While feelings of restlessness andfrustration may be God’s way of getting ourattention and preparing us for something new,those feelings shouldn’t dominate the life of thebeliever. Feelings of restlessness often precedemajor life changes, but feelings of peace shouldbe our normal experience.Eagles fly without having to struggle. Theyglide through the air. It is an effortlessendeavor for them. The wind lifts them higher,and their feathers make it possible to glide.In a similar manner, God has designed away for us to go through life with what I call an“inner ease.” Yes, we face difficulties. Yes,we encounter winds of adversity. But we aredesigned to rise above them. We can learn touse those opposing winds to our advantage.While other birds try to avoid storms, eaglesuse storms to help them rise higher. Eagleshave “an ability to lock their wings in a fixedposition” thus allowing them to “glide higher”because of the storm than they otherwisewould.20 God has given us the ability to dosomething similar. He has given us the abilityto lock our faith in a fixed position in Him andin His Word so that we, too, can rise higher.This determination to trust God regardless ofwhat happens in life keeps our faith fromwavering (see Hebrews 10:23).14

I frequently encounter people who haverisen, or who are in the process of rising, abovethe storms of their lives. I am often encouragedby widows, widowers, and those who have losta child or some other treasured loved one. I amtruly inspired by people who have battled orwho are currently battling cancer or otherhealth problems. I am always blessed when Isee someone who has gone through one of thedarkest and most painful experiences of life andhas trusted God through it all. They havelearned to let the storms of life lift them higher.Since I have been ministering at the samechurch for so many years, I know the stories ofmany of the people in our church family. Iknow the struggles, obstacles, and challengesthat many of them have faced and that some ofthem are now facing.Whenever I ampreaching a sermon to the congregation, manyof the people in the pews are sitting therepreaching a sermon back to me. Their lives aretheir sermons. Without saying a word, theirpresence says to me, “God is in control. Hisgrace is sufficient. Never give up. Keeptrusting God. There is life on the other side ofgreat difficulties and disappointments.” That isthe message so many of the people silentlypreach to me while I verbally preach to them.And to be honest, their sermons are often betterthan mine. Someone once said, “I’d rather see15

a sermon than hear one any day.” I feel thesame way. Some of the greatest sermons arepreached by Christians who are facingincredible challenges with resilient faith inJesus. They just keep pressing on.I recently witnessed this during a worshipservice at our church. A member of our churchfamily, a good man and a treasured friend, hadjust died after a long battle with cancer. Hewas only fifty-six years of age. On the Sundayafter his funeral the previous week, I was onthe platform for part of our worship time. Aswe were all singing, I was also looking acrossthe Worship Center at all the people in churchthat day. While surveying the congregation, Isaw several members of that man’s familystanding up and singing together. From myvantage point, I could see that his wife, hismother, and his sister were not only standing byeach other, but also that all three of them wereusing tissues to wipe their tears. The amazingthing about what I saw was this: While theywere wiping their tears away, they were at thesame time singing “The Doxology.” Withheavy hearts and tear-filled eyes, they weresinging, “Praise God from Whom all blessingsflow.”21 As I saw those three ladies singingthat song to God when it would have beenmuch easier for them to have stayed home thatday, I thought to myself, “That may be the16

greatest sermon I have ever seen.” They wereliterally praising God through their tears. And Ifelt blessed to just be in the same room withthem.I see Christian people exhibit such strengthregularly when they are going through times ofgreat difficulty. Do they have pain? Yes. Dothey cry at times? Absolutely. Do they misstheir loved ones and wish for better health forthemselves? Without a doubt. But I havenoticed something about these overcomingChristians. I have noticed that in the midst oftheir storms they have a peace, a joy, and anease about them. Their spirits are soft, warm,and tender not hard, cold, and angry. Theyhave learned that in the midst of strong andintimidating winds that there is peace to befound by trusting Jesus. When we trust Him,there is a strength that He imparts to us, aninner ease in the midst of great pain, thatenables us to glide through the storm.In the Bible, God talked about how He ledthe Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. He usedeagles to represent the way in which He carriedthem out of the land of oppression. He said, “Ibore you on eagles’ wings and brought you toMyself” (Exodus 19:4). The word “bore”literally means “to lift.”22 In other words, Godlifted His “little eaglets” out of Egypt and drew17

them closer to Himself. He will lift us up, too,if only we will let Him. And He will empowerus to rise above things we never thought wecould overcome. As He draws us closer andcloser to Himself, our lives will become moreand more characterized by that inner ease.3. God changes our perspective through Hisunchanging Word and our ever-changingcircumstances.Eagles are known for their absolutelyamazing eyesight. Studies have revealed that“eagles can see four to five times farther thanthe average human can.”23 Each eye of aneagle has two “fovea” (areas of acute vision)whereas each human eye only has one.24Within each fovea are “cones” which allow theeagle to see very small details from greatdistances away. One example of the strength ofthese cones is demonstrated by the fact that aneagle can see a rabbit from almost two milesaway.25 Some sources report that an eagle cansee a rabbit from three miles away.26Additionally, the location of an eagle’s eyesgives it an area of peripheral vision that reachesalmost 270 degrees.27 When you combine thatwith the fact that eagles have incredible colorvision, you almost become envious of their18

eyesight. They see shades and ultraviolet lightin ways that we simply cannot see.28Not only has God given eagles incrediblevision, but He has also gone to extrememeasures to protect their eyes. An eagle hastwo pairs of eyelids. One pair is similar toours, but the other pair of eyelids is clear. Theyare called “nictitating membranes,” and theycan be closed to protect the eagle’s eyes “fromthe wind, hungry eaglets, or the violence of thekill.”29 These clear eyelids can be closedwhenever an eagle’s eyes need to be protectedwithout causing the eagle to lose its sight likewe do when we close our eyes.The word that comes to my mind when Ithink about the amazing vision of an eagle isthe word “perspective.” When you considerthe sharpness of an eagle’s eyesight and thehigh altitudes at which an eagle flies, it isobvious that an eagle has a much clearerperspective on things than we humans do. ButGod wants to change our perspective. Hewants to give us a clearer view of life and ofeternity. The Bible says, “Set your mind onthings above, not on things on the earth”(Colossians 3:2). I’ve often heard it said that aperson can be so heavenly minded that he’s noearthly good. The truth, though, is that we runthe risk of being so earthly minded that we’re19

not much heavenly or earthly good. Our focusis too narrow. It is too centered on the thingsof this life. And that earthly focus often causesus to miss God’s view of things.So God wants to change our perspective,and He uses His Word, first and foremost, to doit. His Word teaches us that life is brief, fameis fleeting, and money is temporary. From theBible we learn that much of what consumes ourthoughts, conversations, and time doesn’t evenmatter. A hundred years from now, it won’tmatter who won the Super Bowl, or how yourinvestments grew, or even who became thePresident. But in a hundred years it will matterwhether or not you were saved. It will matterwhat you did with the opportunities God gaveyou to help others. It will matter if you werefaithful to do what God called you to do.God’s Word has a way of putting things in amuch clearer perspective for us. And He alsouses circumstances to help us see things moreclearly. A bout with cancer helps a person tosee that a problem at work isn’t really aproblem at all. A sudden heart attack helps aman to see that his financial portfolio isn’t allthat important. A rebellious child helps aparent to see that there is more to life than agood job, a big house, and several nice cars.20

Don’t get me wrong. God doesn’t cause badthings to happen. He doesn’t cause cancer andheart attacks. He doesn’t cause children torebel. He doesn’t cause people to lose theirjobs. He doesn’t cause divorce or otherrelationship heartaches. But He uses thesethings when they do happen. And He usesthem to help us see the temporary, transientnature of life more clearly.When you begin to view your circumstancesthrough the filter of God’s Word, you discoverthat what really matters in life is yoursoul that part of you that will live forever.What matters is God and His purpose for yourlife. What matters is not so much the problemsyou encounter but how you respond to them.What matters is not so much how people treatyou but how you treat them. What matters isnot so much what others think of you but whatyour attitude is towards them. Do you lovethose who have tried to hurt you? Do youforgive those who have done you wrong? Doyou pray for those who use you?A hundred years from now, we will fullyunderstand that God’s Word, our souls, otherpeople’s souls, and our faithfulness to Godwere really the things that mattered during ourtime on earth. Because in eternity, those arethe only things that will still be around.21

I was interested to learn that as well aseagles can see during the day that they can’t seenearly as well at night. Sure, eagles can stillsee at night, but they don’t have the sameclarity and perspective that they have duringthe day. They are known as “diurnal predators”meaning they hunt during the day and arebasically inactive at night.30Perhaps there is something we can learnfrom that as well. As we seek to gain aheavenly perspective on the matters of life,let’s remember that we, too, can see thingsmore clearly in the bright light of holiness andpurity than in the darkness of sin anddisobedience. In the Bible, light representsGod, and darkness represents the devil. Whenwe go God’s way, we are able to see thingsmuch more clearly. We are able to see thematters of life through the lens of eternity. Wegain the perspective of a high-flying eagle.And, in the process, we become more heavenlyminded and much more earthly good.4. God enables us to live consistently ona higher level than we ever thoughtpossible.As we have seen, eagles love the heights.This is seen not only in their flying, but also inthe location of their nests. Eagles prefer to22

build their nests on the side of a cliff in acrevice, cleft, or nook. Since the top of a cliffwould leave the nest vulnerable to other birds,the side of a cliff is safer. Eagles also knowthat cliffs are better than trees. Animals canclimb trees and devour baby eaglets, but theycan’t typically climb steep cliffs.31 Of course,when cliffs aren’t available, eagles build theirnests near the top of tall trees. The point I ammaking is that eagles live as high as theypossibly and safely can.Once the location of the nest has beendetermined, the eagles begin the buildingprocess. Now would be a good time to pointout that eagles tend to mate for life.32 Aftertwo eagles have come together, they begin tobuild their nest together. Studies have shownthat the “nest building” is actually part of thebonding process between the male and femaleeagles.33 During the one to three month nestbuilding project, the eagles gather sticks andtwigs and actually construct their new home.The sticks and twigs are “interwoven,” and theinside of the nest is “lined with grass, cornstalks, and other material.”34 Moss is oftengathered and placed inside the nest to “serve asan insect repellant.”35After the nest is completed, the eagles oftendecorate it with “a sprig of greenery.”36 This,23

or some other decoration, makes the nest feellike home. The nest constructed by the eaglesis much larger than a typical bird’s nest. Onepair of eagles was followed for thirty-five yearsin the same nest. Amazingly, their nest grew tobe twenty feet deep and nine and a half feetwide.37Once the nest is constructed, high above theground, the eagle family has a wonderful viewthat enables them to look for prey.Additionally, the new-born eaglets are safe, farfrom harm’s way. And the adult eagle has “anenergy-saving launching pad” whenever it“swoops down from its nest.”38Humans have a lot to learn from the locationof the eagles’ nest. Not only do we need aclearer perspective on life, but we also need tolive consistently above the petty things thatoften pull us down. The key to living a life ofconsistency is learning to live by faith and notby our ever-changing feelings and emotions.Some days we don’t feel particularlyvictorious. We don’t feel joyful. Our emotionsare like a rollercoaster. They are up and down.This can be caused by many factors includinghow well we slept the night before, blood sugarlevels, thyroid problems, chemical imbalances,and even depression. This is why it isimportant to go to the doctor when you don’t24

feel quite right. Sometimes a change in diet, amedication, or a lifestyle adjustment can bringthings back into balance. But if you are just“feeling down” and there is no medical reasonfor it, then you have to make a decision. Willyou live by your feelings or will you live byfaith in God and in His Word?Sometimes God has to wean us away fromour feelings. All of us have had times in ourlives when we have “felt” God’s presence. Wehave experienced seasons when God seemed soclose to us that we could almost reach out andtouch Him. Those are wonderful and specialtimes. If we’re not careful, though, we canactually become more dependent on those“feelings” than we are on God. So sometimesGod has to remove the feelings in order toteach us to trust Him and to walk with Himwhether we feel anything or not. He has toliberate us from our dependence on ourfeelings, and He often does this by removingthem. When we reach the point in our liveswhere we can walk with God regardless of ourfeelings then we have taken a huge stepforward in our spiritual development. Feelingsare great, but we can’t live by them. We haveto live by faith. Feelings come and go, butJesus never changes. So attach your faith toHim and trust Him whether you feel anything25

or not. Your life will become more balancedand consistent if you will do that.I am thankful that airplane pilots don’t flytheir planes based on their feelings. They needsomething more objective than that, so they flytheir planes by their instrument panels. Aninstrument panel never changes. A pilot maybe tired, have a headache, or he may be havingproblems at home, but if he allows thoseemotions to alter his perception of reality, theresults could be disastrous. A pilot knows thathe must fly his plane by the stability andreliability of the instrument panel, not by theinstability and unreliability of his emotions. Apilot can’t even always fly by what he can seethrough the windshield. Clouds and darknesscan limit his vision, but the instrument panelremains trustworthy.The same is true for us. We can’t alwayssee what is ahead of us, so we have to moveforward by faith. There are a lot of things thataffect our emotions, but we must learn not to becontrolled by them. Instead, we need to becontrolled by the clear teachings of Scripturethat say things like: “God is in control. Thereis a purpose behind this problem. God’s graceis sufficient. Trusting Jesus with this situationwill result in peace. Another person cannot26

take you out of the will of God. The best is yetto be!”By meditating on these truths, we are beingcontrolled by the reliability of God’s Word.The Psalmist said, “Forever, O LORD, YourWord is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89).God’s Word is settled in heaven, but it needs tobe settled in our hearts as well. Once it is, wewill find that our lives are more settled, too.We won’t be led by how we feel; we’ll be ledby what we know.Eagle

possible? Well, eagles know how to use the winds to their advantage. When a storm comes, the eagle positions its wings so that the wind will lift it up and carry it above the storm. The eagle doesn’t escape the storm; it uses the storm to help it fly higher. The storm literally lifts the eagle up.8 The “lifting” is caused by “thermals.”