Wings Like Eagles

Lately, I have been feeling weak and defeated in my faith. Certain circumstances had gotten me weary and cast down, and I felt like I was continually failing in certain areas of my life. The Lord was so good to send me some very specific reminders this past week that have revived my spirit.

It all started last Friday as I was reading a friend’s email, and I found particular comfort in some verses that she shared from Isaiah 40:

“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, 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 40:29-31)

What a wonderful promise from God! “He gives power to the weak.” The phrase: “but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength” reminded me how the way our strength is renewed is by waiting on the Lord – that word “wait” literally meaning to look eagerly for, to hope, expect.

The day after I had read those verses in Isaiah, my sister and I were going to one of our cleaning jobs. I was driving on the dirt road just down from our house when a huge bald eagle flew out from the trees. It kept flying just ahead of us for a few seconds before disappearing back into the trees. My sister and I were mesmerized by the sight, because the last time we had seen a bald eagle in our little corner of south Arkansas was about 10-12 years ago. As I drove on, it suddenly hit me – the verses from Isaiah. Tears stung my eyes as I thanked the Lord for this amazing visual reminder.

Then on Sunday, the Lord showed me even more undeserved kindness through the message that my dad preached. It was about Jacob, Joseph’s father, and his defeated faith. After the service, I told my dad through tears that I had been Jacob. I had felt guilty for feeling this way, but then was reminded how even the great men of faith in the Bible struggled and failed repeatedly – Abraham failed to trust God when he took matters into his own hands and lied about his wife, not once but twice; and then Peter denied knowing the Lord not once but three times. I was listening to a podcaster this morning, and she pointed out the beautiful way that Jesus responded to Peter in his repeated failures. He didn’t scold Peter, but responded with truth, love, and restoration. What a compassionate Savior we have who is so patient with us in our weaknesses!

And then there’s Jacob, who got weak in his faith after he believed Joseph to be dead, and even when his sons told him about Joseph being alive, he was slow to believe. “And they told him, saying, ‘Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.’ And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them. But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.” (Genesis 45:26-27) In his message, my dad brought out an interesting point in how we see a switch here with Jacob and his revived faith. In the very next verse, the writer starts out by referring to Jacob by the new name that God had previously given him – Israel, which means “God prevails”. It is only through God’s strength and power, and not any work or strength of our own, that we are able to prevail and “mount up with wings like eagles.”

One point that really stuck out to me in this message about Jacob was that “He had forgotten the promises of God”. How true it is that we get weak when we take our eyes off God and His promises! The promises that God had made to Jacob were: “the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants”; “your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth”, and “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go”. (Genesis 28:13-15) The promises that God makes to us are:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” (Isaiah 44:22)

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18)

“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11)

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)

“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3)

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:1-3)

“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

“And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness…the Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.” (Lamentations 3:22-23, 25)

“And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:28)

“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:2-3)

“Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’” (Revelation 21:2-5)

And this is just a small portion of the many promises from God in His Word!

I pray that this is an encouragement to someone who may be feeling a bit discouraged and cast down in their soul right now. May we be renewed in our faith, keeping our eyes on God’s promises – that He will renew our strength if we but ask and believe Him in faith, with no doubting (James 1:6), and ABIDING in Him, for: “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” (John 15:4)

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

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