Wings like Eagles

(6/30/12)

Traveling home from a trip in Southeast Alaska this past summer, I arrived to a rainy day in Ketchican by ferry. The clouds loomed, the rain poured and I considered it to be an ugly, crappy day. Similar days had become quite frustrating to me as most of the summer weather had been a lot like this day. All I kept thinking was "I wish those clouds would move".

To fly back to Anchorage from Ketchican, I had to stop in Sitka and Juno first. I happened to be able to sit by the window on each leg. Each time we ascended into the air and above the rain clouds, I discovered that the sun was on full blast. I had never really thought of what existed about the clouds. I guess I just thought that because of the clouds, the sun’s rays were inhibited.  On this day, I realized how completely wrong I had been with this thinking. I am almost embarrassed to say that this experience was an ah-ha moment for me, but it truly was.

In life storms, we tend to focus on the clouds. It seems like the clouds will never abate and the sun doesn’t exist. The truth is we just have to wait and believe the sun (God) is still ever present over our situation.

Isaiah 40:31 says that they (meaning us) will soar on wings like eagles. While most of us are familiar with that verse, how many of us truly understand what that means for us?

When eagles encounter a storm, they could easily take cover until the storm dissipates. But instead of running away from the problem, God designed them to do something incredible. When storms come, eagles find a perch and then they wait. Once the storm reaches its peak, they use the pressure of the wind to lift them ABOVE the clouds. What they instinctively do and don’t do is amazing. They don’t flap and fight against the storm.  Instead, by allowing the air pressure of the storm to lift them, they are able to soar above the storm.

We may not have planes to lift us about the clouds so that we can escape physical rain, storms or just crappy days.  Yet, Christ created us as eagles; equipping us with His supernatural power to soar above our current struggles. If we allow our wings to rest in Him and not fight the pressures of life, we will find that He will use that pressure to elevate us over our trials and bring us closer to Him.

No matter what you are going through, let God elevate you. Don't fight Him or get distraught by the way things look at the moment. He is there with you, and He is above it all. Release your hands, fall face first into His mercy and soar into the sun.