Did you ever have the opportunity to watch eagles fly? When I was a boy, I can recall being fascinated by eagles as they circled above the lock and dam on the Mississippi River not far from my home. In those days, my father and I went fishing near the dams on that river quite frequently, and there our attention was often captured by the eagles. How effortlessly they appeared to sweep along those footless pathways above, while we on the ground were obliged to labor down uneven, muddy trails as we struggled to make our way to our fishing spot along the bank. But, how easily the eagles seemed to mount and glide, high above our toilsome trek below. I remember thinking how marvelous it would be to soar aloft, uninhibited by the difficulties of earth, just like those eagles!
To me, the eagle appeared to be able to fly skillfully and with great strength, yet it seemed to wing its way aloft with but little effort. Perhaps it was these very characteristics that moved the Holy Spirit to choose the eagle in Isaiah 40:27-31. There we read, “Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 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.”
By way of background, the people of Judah had sinned by neglecting God over the course of many years, and now they would have to suffer the consequences of their iniquities at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. For the people of God, the long years of exile in Babylon might seem to drag on, but restoration would come at last. The verses above look ahead to that glad day when the children of Israel would come back to their land; and there is also a reminder here of that great day when the King Himself would return to reign in Jerusalem, and all of Israel’s sorrows would be over forever. These are words of comfort for God’s people, particularly for those who might become discouraged along the way; the words are for those who might think that God was not aware of their trials, or that He no longer cared about them. The long years in captivity would be very difficult for the children of Judah, and some might faint for weariness, but God, the very God of the universe, does not faint, nor does He forget His own. He created the heavens and the earth, and He sustains all by His magnificent power. His eye is ever on His people, and He can well deliver those who wait upon Him. He will put energy and vitality back into weak and weary bodies, and His children are encouraged that they will rise up above their present distress; they will mount up, as it were, on wings like eagles in seemingly effortless ascent, gliding far above this troubled world.
My dear friend, are you a child of God, and are you struggling just now? Perhaps your journey through this wilderness world has led you along weary pathways, and your progress has been challenged by many setbacks and dangers. Remember, the God of Isaiah yet lives and rules in the heavens; He is the same God today, and His words of comfort are for His people even now. He loves His own, and is ever aware of their trials: “The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry,” (Psalm 34:15). The children of Israel could look forward to that latter day when the fullness of their restoration would be realized, when the great King would return to reign. Likewise, His children today can look forward to that certain hope of being with the Lord when He returns: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words,” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). On that day, we will surely break the bonds of earth and soar above, and what a day that will be! We can always be comforted in any circumstance with the certainty that this will happen. But, my dear friend, I am convinced that the children of God can mount up even now, borne by wings of faith in His precious promises, to sail far above this troubled earth, unimpeded by the trials of this scene.
Our loving and ever faithful God well knows the difficulty of the road here below, as He once walked here in the Person of His Son, the Lord Jesus. This same Jesus knows your every trouble, and He is ever ready to help; He is only a prayer away: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need,” (Hebrews 4:15,16). If you are a believer in Christ, you can rest in the sure knowledge that however difficult the pathway ahead may prove to be for you, you do not walk that road alone: “…for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee,” (Hebrews 13:5). My dear friend, the God who created the ends of the earth knows your situation just now; it is He that “giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” The same God who sent such words of comfort to Israel in days of old yet rules the heavens, and His Word does not fail—His Word is more stable and His promises more sure than the very earth we walk upon. By waiting on Him, we can spread those wings of faith even now, and then we will be propelled heavenward, carried aloft by the precious promises that He has given us in His Word. God is never weary, and He never faints; He has exceedingly abundant stores of strength and energy that He will give to those who wait upon Him.
But now, what if you have never believed; what if you are not a Christian? Then the promises of God’s Word are not yours yet. The good news is that this same God loves you and wants you to come to Him. Consider the words of our Lord Jesus in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The very One who once came to this world to save sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, here invites you who are weary and burdened with the weight of sin to come to Him. To “come” means to believe on the Lord Jesus; this is the only way your burden can be removed; then you will have the rest which you seek—He alone can give you rest; that is the rest of salvation. Would you like to be saved? Would you like to be a child of God so that you too might know the comfort of His promises to His children? Would you like to have the assurance that despite your trials below, you will mount up with wings as eagles? Come to Jesus just now by believing on Him. We read in John 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name….”