Eagle

Eagle’s Wings

(Isaiah 40:26-31)

By Pastor Kelly Sensenig

My wife and I were vacationing in the everglades which are located in Southern Florida. One day we were walking on a wooden boardwalk that spiraled through the thick brush of the Everglades. The boardwalk must have gone for at least a mile back into the brush. We saw snakes, exotic birds, and even alligators. At one point on the trail we looked up and saw an eagle’s nest on the top of a tree. The big bird stood on the nest ready to mount up and soar away. When I saw that eagle I thought of one of the verses that we are going to address in this study.

Isaiah 40:31

“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.”

This is one of the concluding promises we find in this passage of Scripture found in Isaiah 40:26-31. Everything leads up to this wonderful promise. When God’s people are weak and weary, when they are ready to faint with despair and discouragement, God gives them eagle’s wings, so they can soar above their difficulties and trials that they face in life with His strengthening grace. What a promise this is. Eagle’s wings! This study will focus on God’s promise of daily power and strength that is available for the Christian life.

The background of Isaiah 40:31 has to do with God’s ancient people Israel. Isaiah’s readers were under the power of Assyrian captivity. Years later his readers would be faced with the Babylonian Captivity and the domination of the godless empire of Babylon. This portion of his letter would serve as a source of encouragement to Isaiah’s people during these times of captivity. It was a reminder that God would come to their rescue during those times when they thought God had forgotten them, and give them the spiritual uplift (eagle’s wings) they needed to face life, when everything around them seemed hopeless. Do you need a spiritual uplift today?

God gives divine strength (eagle’s wings) to His children.

This truth is unfolded in three ways.

I. The personal complaint

Isaiah 40:27

“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?”

In their exile the people of God would become spiritually weak and feel like God had forgotten them. They would begin to faint with frustration and think that God had forever forgotten them. They would say: “My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?” (Isa. 40:27). This was their complaint during their captivities. During the times of exile Israel thought that God had abandoned them to the heathen nations all around them. They thought God had given up on them and no longer cared about them. They cried, “My way is hid from the LORD.”

Let me ask you a personal question. Have you ever voiced this complaint? Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever felt that God had forgotten you and left you to drown in your own misery and sorrow? Have you ever felt that God had given up on you because of your repeated sins and failures? If so, you must remember that God never forgets His own children and that He is always the same, always forgiving, and always faithful. “For I am the LORD, I change not” (Mal. 3:6). God is always the same. He is ready to forgive and pardon. He is ready to help and strengthen you. His love, mercy, pardon, and power are always available to His children.

“I am His, He is mine,

Jesus knows my name.

In can rest in His arms;

He’s always the same.

When I fail, when I call,

Jesus takes my hand.

Cleansing me, lifting me,

He helps me to stand.

Always the same, O praise His name.

Jesus never changes;

He’s always the same.

Always together, His love is forever.

Jesus never changes;

He’s always the same.”

Yes, God is always the same and is ready to forgive us, rescue us, and give us the lift we need when facing life’s demands and the daily trials that can weigh us down. For instance, God is a faithful covenant-keeping God to Israel and He will never forget them, even during their times of captivity and waywardness (Duet. 7:9; Isa. 49:16 – “I have graven thee on the palms of my hands”). In a similar way, God is faithful to His children today and will never abandon us (“God is faithful” – 1 Cor. 1:9). He does not give up on us for “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9). I thank the Lord for this wonderful truth. God is faithful and He is always ready to forgive His children and then supply them with the strength they need for their present-day journey, so they can live effectively and victoriously for Him during difficult days. God is ready to give us His eagle wings of deliverance.

Someone wrote:

“When you are at the end of your rope, God is there ready to catch you.”

So stop complaining (“My way is hid from the LORD” – Isa. 40:28). Stop crying, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.” God has not abandoned you. He has not forgotten you. Instead, He wants to forgive you, if necessary, and then give you eagle’s wings or His mighty strengthening power, so you can soar above life’s difficulties and not be overcome or spiritually defeated. Many times we can find ourselves complaining in life when we lose our spiritual perspective on trials and testing that comes from the Lord (“Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him” – Job 13;15). We think that God has given us the short end of the stick and has forgotten about us. But this is not the case. God is faithful. He is simply testing us to see if we are really genuine and want to grow in grace (2 Pet. 3:18) and rely upon His sufficient power through the trials of life (2 Cor. 12:9).

Charles Spurgeon said:

“It is always unpleasant when reading an interesting article in a magazine to find yourself pulled up short with the ominous words, ‘To be continued.’ Yet they are words of good cheer if applied to other matters. What a comfort to remember that the Lord's mercy and lovingkindness is to be continued! Much as we have experienced in the long years of our pilgrimage, we have by no means outlived eternal love. Providential goodness is an endless chain, a stream which follows the pilgrim, a wheel perpetually revolving, a star forever shining …”

Yes, God always loves us (Rom. 8:38-39). He has not abandoned us (Heb. 13:5). God is always faithful (1 Thess. 5:24). Everything continues on! The stream continues to flow, the wheel continues to spin, and the star continues to shine. God is always the same. He is faithful. He wants to forgive us and then supply us with His endless power. God is not against us. God is for us and “If God be for us who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31). The Lord allows us to pass through difficult times so we can learn the secret of soaring above life’s trials by His sufficient grace and power.

II. The powerful God

This is the second major truth of this text of Scripture. Isaiah writes this portion of Scripture to comfort the people during their times of exile. They were able to read this passage of Scripture while in captivity and know that God was still faithful. Isaiah prescribes some consolation for the people of Israel in verses 26-31. In reading these verses from the prophet they would find the hope, strength, and comfort they needed during their times of difficulty and hardship.

A. God’s power illustrated (vv. 26, 28)

Isaiah is now going to illustrate God’s power to demonstrate His faithfulness to His children and His ability to empower them in the midst of life’s most challenging difficulties.

1. The illustration of God’s creation

Isaiah 40:26

“Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.”

When we doubt God’s faithfulness or His power and strength to help us pass through our trials, then we must look to the stars! We must look to God’s creative wonders and recognize His power and might. God created the stars and put them in their orbits. When God summons each of them to come out at night (“bringeth out their host by number”) not one is missing (“not one faileth”). They are all present and in order. Not one is missing from roll call! In fact, God has names for all the stars (“he calleth them all by names” – Ps. 147:4). In certain Scriptures God actually names some of the stars (Job 9:9; 38:31). God’s creation, naming, and faithful revelation of the stars is accomplished “by the greatness of his might” (Isa. 40:26). The creation (Gen. 1:16), naming (Isa. 40:26), numbering (Ps. 147:4) unveiling (Isa. 40:26), and sustaining (Heb. 1:3) of the stars illustrates God’s tremendous power and strength. His creative wonders tell the never-ending story that “he is strong in power” (Isa. 40:26). What a great, big, wonderful, and powerful God we serve.

The point is this. God has created the stars by His power and faithfully brings the stars out in the evening. Not one is ever missing! Since this is true, we can also know that God is faithful in the times of testing and adversity. He has a perfect plan that He’s bringing to pass and we can rely upon Him for unwavering strength and power for daily living. God is faithful. His faithfulness and power is illustrated in the stars.

F. B. Meyer said:

“If God maintains sun and planets in bright and ordered beauty he can keep us.”

Many people look to the stars today for signs and guidance. They want to discover their future by looking at the stars. Astrology is the study that attempts to interpret the influence of the heavenly bodies in relationship to human affairs. Many people talk about the sign of the Zodiac and look at the stars to assist them in life. This is not what the Bible is teaching in this verse. The Christian is not to look to the stars for guidance but to remember the Creator of the stars and His omnipotent power and faithfulness. We don’t rely upon the stars for guidance but we look at the stars to see God’s greatness! We see the One who created the stars. When you can’t take it any longer, then go outside and look up at the stars, remembering the Creator of the stars, and rely upon God’s ever-present power and faithfulness to supply your need. The great Creator can meet your every need.

“In the stars His handiwork I see

On the wind He speaks with majesty.”

Just a fleeting glimpse into the heavens will clear out the cobwebs and cause us to remember the great and Almighty God who is with us to help us pass through the fiery trials of this life (1 Pet. 4:12).

It’s hard to believe but the people were considering a return to idolatry since they thought God had abandoned them (Isa. 40:19-20). God views this as an ultimate absurdity (“To whom will ye liken God” - Isa. 40:18). The people forgot about God and His absolute greatness. They forgot who God was and what He had done. He is the unchangeable Almighty God!

“He is Almighty, unchangeable God,

King of kings and Lord of Lords,

Clothed in Majesty.

He rules and reigns for all eternity.

Almighty unchangeable God.

Who spread out the clouds before Him,

Who fashioned the earth with His hands,

Who created the starry host,

And formed the earth at His command.”

In Isaiah 40:21-22 the prophet wrote:

“Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.”

The Lord is the creator of everything. He is the only true God. God is like a king sitting enthroned above the circle (circuit or horizon) of the earth. The Bible tells us that the earth is round and is a scientific book. God is pictured as sitting on the circuit of the earth, over His people, who by comparison seem like mere grasshoppers in His sight. The heavens (the sky) are pictured as a curtain or tent that is spread out wherein God lives (Ps. 104:2). Isaiah was not presenting a detailed picture of God’s actual abode. He was merely painting a vivid picture of God’s greatness in comparison to man’s smallness. As God looks down, men seem like insects to the One who has stretched and spread out the universal heavens.

None of us can fully comprehend the magnitude of God’s greatness and being. God is so great He is pictured as sitting on the edge of the earth and watching His people. God is mighty! He is the Almighty God! Cannot He come to your rescue? Cannot He supply you with strength for the journey?

Zephaniah 3:17

“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”

2. The illustration of God’s character

Isaiah 40:28

“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.”

God’s features or traits are given in this verse to illustrate His greatness and ability to provide us with strength for the journey and during those time of waiting, when we patiently allow God to bring His program to pass.

“Hast thou not known?” The Lord repeats this rhetorical question for emphasis (v. 21). Perhaps this is our problem. We don’t know how great and marvelous our God really is. He is the “everlasting God” (the eternal God), the “Creator of the ends of the earth” (the all powerful God) who “fainteth not, neither is weary” (the unchangeable God), and the God whose “searching” and “understanding” cannot be fathomed (the omniscient and all wise God). What a God we have! What a God we serve! Cannot this God, the only true God (Isa. 45:5-6, 21 – “there is no God beside me”), meet your every need? Cannot the true eternal God, who never tires and wearies (“fainteth not, neither is weary”), be your constant companion and help in life?

Psalm 121:3

“He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.”

“He, who safely keepeth,

Slumbers not, nor sleepeth;

Tho’ by all the world forsaken,

Wherefore should I fear?

That which He hath spoken

Never can be broken,

Who shall harm the trusting heart

When He is near?”

Cannot you find everything that you need in the everlasting God who is “the Creator of the ends of the earth?” (Isa. 40:28). I tell you, when we truly know God, we will discover that He is more than enough to meet our needs, and give us the sustaining power and strength we need to face all of life’s challenges and difficulties. A lady once said, “Pastor, you are not meeting my needs.” Now friend, no pastor can meet your needs! It takes the might unchangeable God to meet your needs! “Hast thou not known?” We don’t know who God is anymore! Many Christians are trying to solve, or at least cover-up their problems, through social drinking, recovery therapy, self-help tapes, seminars, psychology, self-esteem, and depression pills. Only when we connect with the great, eternal, and Almighty God can we find strength and stability in life. God is God. Let Him be God in your life!

“Creator of all things, the healer of my being.

Through Your righteousness I’ve been redeemed.

Forgiven by Your grace, Your joy is my strength.

When everything has changed, You stay the same.

Ever present help, Savior of my life.

Everything I have belongs to You.

My time is in Your hands, My purpose is Your will.

I know that You’ll provide, so I’ll be still.

You are God! Bright and Morning star

When I’m down You lift me up,

You’re the Lover of my heart.

You are God, Mender of my soul,

You’re the One who makes me whole,

You are God.”

You are God! Any Questions?

B. God’s power distributed (vv. 29-30)

God is ready to distribute His power to His people. No matter where they are at in life and what they are facing in life, God is ready to distribute His strength or power to their lives.

There are two groups of people that need God’s power.

1. The yearning generation

Isaiah 40:29

“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.”

We are first reminded that there needs to be a generation of people who truly yearn or long for God’s help and strength. Many Christians today are programmed to turn to other methods and solutions for their problems instead of turning to the One who can help them through their problems and trials.

A man once called me and expressed that he wanted to visit the church. He was a secular counselor and wandered if I had the credentials to help him! Now friend, my credentials won’t help any person. God has the credentials and He does not need a Ph. D. or any other degree to help you. He’s God!! We must possess an earnest desire to receive God’s help (“to them that have no might he increaseth strength”). The New Testament counterpart to this verse is not hard to find: “for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor. 12:10). What a promise! Do you want to be delivered? Do you really want God to help you? If so, His power is available to you. God promises that His help is available to all who want to receive it (“He giveth power to the faint”). Have you ever been fatigued or exhausted in life? Certainly you have. Have you ever felt that there is nothing left on the inside of you that will enable you to go on? It’s during these times that God promises to distribute an abundant supply of His strengthening grace to your life.

I remember when we were installing our church steeple. The weather was nice but when we placed the steeple on the roof the wind started to blow and howl. Several of us were holding down the steeple waiting for someone to bolt the steeple to the roof. Our strength was almost gone. We were holding on for dear life but knew we could not hold on much longer. We actually thought that the steeple was going to go crashing down over the side of the building and break in a thousand pieces. Well, we held on. To this day, I still don’t know how we did it. Sometimes this is true from a spiritual perspective. When we feel we can’t hang on any longer God comes to our rescue and gives us the strength that we need to hang on longer, so we can pass through the trial we are facing. God comes along and gives us the needed grace to sustain us and empower us. Let me just say this. We need divine power to help us through life.

2 Peter 1:3

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.”

Dear friends, when we think that it’s all over, it’s then that God shows up! It’s then that God comes to our rescue. God promises that when we “faint” (Isa. 40:29) in life He will uphold us by His Almighty hand. He will distribute His supply of power to our lives just when we need Him most.

“Just when I need Him most,

Just when I need Him most,

Jesus is near to comfort and cheer,

Just when I need Him most.”

God is our only hope! God is our help (Isa. 41:10 – “I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee”).

“O God, our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come,

Our shelter from the stormy blast,

And our eternal home!”

God gives us the spiritual strength and stamina we need to keep on going in spite of the difficulties and downfalls we may have experienced. God is God. Certainly He can come to our rescue and sustain us and keep us from spiritual defeat, dismay, and discouragement. God is greater than our circumstances. God is greater than our fears. God is greater than our enemies.

2. The younger generation

Isaiah 40:30

“Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.”

This is a staggering statistic that should cause alarm. Youth is supposed to be a time of energy and vitality. But what happens when extreme circumstances zap the life out of young people, robbing them of enthusiasm and rendering them too weak to go on? They faint (“Even the youths shall faint and be weary”) and fall spiritually (“and the young men shall utterly fall”). The world’s temptations and pressures are out to destroy our youth today. Let us never forget it. There is a satanic war that is waged against our young people today. We need to understand this and lead our young people to God’s sustaining and victorious grace. God can keep our young people from falling and becoming defeated in their lives.

It’s interesting that every age group is vulnerable. However, in this verse God shows a special interest in young people. Why? It’s because they are the next generation to follow God’s Word and take the Gospel to the lost. They are the next generation to represent God to a world that does not know God. They are the next generation to uphold God’s holiness and do His will. God has pledged Himself to help young people. God has a real concern for young people. We should as well. Young people are at risk for “fainting” from the demands of life and the circumstances which weigh them down. However, every young person can take comfort in God’s promise. There “youth is renewed like the eagle's” (Ps. 103:5).

III. The patient people

We move from the personal complaint and the powerful God to the patient people. God’s people must learn to develop patience during their times of trials and hardships. Patience is a Christian virtue that is repeatedly mentioned as a valuable part of our Christian growth (2 Pet. 1:6; Rom. 5:3-4; 2 Thess. 1:4 - ”patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure”).

Isaiah 40:31 says:

“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.”

Israel during her times of captivity would have to learn to patiently “wait” on God for His deliverance from her captors. However, during this time of captivity God would come to the rescue of His people and “renew their strength.” He would give them the spiritual power and vitality they needed during their times of exile and difficulty. We too must learn to be patient and wait on God, even as the people had to wait on God to deliver them from their time of captivity. God is working according to His own time schedule – not ours. So learning to patiently wait on God’s timing is an important part of the Christian life. However, it’s during these times of waiting that God renews our strength and gives us the spiritual lift and victory that we need to soar above life’s difficulties and troubles.

There are two practical truths related to waiting.

A. God’s people must learn to wait.

The Bible speaks of “they that wait upon the LORD” (Isa. 40:31). The people during their times of captivity needed to patiently wait on God for their deliverance or release. They could not push or rush ahead of God’s plan and purpose. They needed to learn the secret of relying upon God’s perfect timetable and sovereign plan for their lives. This expression “they that wait upon the LORD” implies that a Christian should be willing to allow God to decide the terms. Let’s face it. He’s God and you’re not – deal with it!

God’s children should patiently wait and allow God to do His work, in His own way, and in His own time. Waiting on God and His timetable is extremely important. Are you the type of person that can wait upon God? Are you growing in patience and allowing God to be God in your own life? Are you allowing Him to progressively reveal His plan and purpose for your life in His own time and way? Many times we want God to immediately show us what the next step is for our lives. We are impatient and want to see the entire blueprint all at once. But God says, “Just wait and I will show you step by step the plan that I have for your life.” Sometimes we want to know everything, do everything, and have everything at the same time. We want the four course meal all at once! But God does not choose to work this way. He wants to place us in the school of patience and allow us to wait on His future plan and purpose to be revealed.

The close friends of the great New England preacher, Phillips Brooks, knew that he also suffered moments of frustration and irritability, like anyone else. One day a friend saw him pacing the floor like a caged lion. “What is the trouble, Dr. Brooks?” asked the friend. “The trouble is that I’m in a hurry, but God isn’t!”

Psalm 37:7

“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”

When we see others prospering all around us, while we are doing God’s will and suffering, we must remember that God does not always settle His accounts in this life. The success of the ungodly is only temporary. Even though they might prosper in this life their success is brief in light of eternity. The heathen corn may be much higher than your corn but that’s okay. God’s children must wait patiently on the Lord (“wait patiently for him”) to reveal and bring His perfect plan to fruition in their lives. God has something special to teach us during every trial that we face and will bring His perfect plan to pass in His own time.

Dr. Arthur Pierson once told of being alone in the study of that great man of faith and achievement, George Mueller. Thinking it would be a good time to look at the great man’s Bible, he opened it and was thumbing through its pages, when he came to a verse in Psalms where it reads, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” (Ps. 37:23). Opposite it, on the margin, Mueller had made this notation: “And the stops, too.”

God stops us at times and asks us to wait for His next move. He does not always keep showing the next step on a giant screen before us. We must learn the secret of waiting on God knowing that God makes everything beautiful in His time! When we “rest” (Psalm 37:7) in the Lord’s present plan and purpose for our lives we can find the patience we need, even when all odds are against us, and when the bottom drops out of our lives. Furthermore, when we “wait patiently” (Ps. 37:7) on the Lord to bring His future plan to fruition, we will find everything that we need during the wait, and in the end, we will discover that the wait was worth it! What God gives to us during the waiting time and at the end of the waiting period will be a blessing.

Vance Havner said:

“Simply wait on him. In so doing, we shall be directed, supplied, protected, corrected, and rewarded.”

Learning to listen and wait on God is an important part of the Christian life. Next to suffering, waiting may be the greatest teacher and trainer in godliness, maturity, and genuine spirituality that most of us will ever encounter. We must learn to wait on God for His direction and leading. Quiet waiting before God would save us from many mistakes and sorrows.

Psalm 62:5 says,

“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.”

When we learn to wait on God (“they that wait upon the Lord” - Isa. 40:31), we can know that He is working and bringing His perfect plan to fruition, in His own time and in His own way. Our part is to patiently wait on God and His part is to bring His perfect plan to completion in our lives. Brethren, let us cultivate patience, so we might wait on God and receive His very best for our lives.

“Waiting! Yes, patiently waiting!

Till next steps made plain shall be;

To hear, with the inner hearing,

The Voice that will call for me.

Waiting! Yes, quietly waiting!

No need for an anxious dread;

Shall He not assuredly guide me,

Who giveth me daily bread?

Waiting! Yes, hopefully waiting!

With hope that needn’t grow dim;

The Master is pledged to guide me,

And my eyes are unto Him.

Waiting! Yes, expectantly waiting!

Perhaps it may be today

The Master will quickly open

The gate to my future way.

Waiting! Yes, trustfully waiting!

I know, though I’ve waited long,

That, while He withholds His purpose,

His waiting cannot be wrong.

Waiting! Yes, waiting, Still waiting!

The Master will not be late;

He knoweth that I am waiting

For Him to unlatch the gate.”

B. God’s promise for those who wait

The promise God gives to His children who wait upon Him is that they will “renew their strength” (Isa. 40:31) during their time of waiting. God does not leave us powerless during our times of waiting. The promise He gives is one of renewed spiritual strength and vigor. During the times we are waiting on God we are promised a never-ending supply of His strengthening and sustaining power. The word “renew” means to “change or substitute” and suggests that a person makes a new start. What we need is a new start. Living the Christian life is a series of new beginnings! The obvious point is this. We exchange our weakness for God’s power (2 Cor. 12:1-10) and are inwardly renewed and strengthened to go on when life seems hard and difficult.

This promise of strength is illustrated in three ways.

1. Flying above our troubles

The Bible declares that God’s children can “mount up with wings as eagles” (Isa. 40:31). The imagery of an eagle soaring into the blue sky gives a graphic illustration of how the child of God can soar above life’s trials and difficulties instead of being overcome by them. The wings of an eagle depict the strength that God provides to sustain us in our times of affliction and troubles. God wants us to go up, so we don’t go down! He wants us to soar in life! He wants us to rely upon His ever-present and ever-sustaining power, so we can soar above our trials, instead of being sunk by them. God wants us to live above life’s difficulties instead of sinking and drowning in the deep waters of trial and adversity. Are you living above or below your trials? Are you living above or below the tempestuous waters of affliction and difficulty? We need a spiritual uplift so we don’t become bound to our earthly problems and trials.

In despair the Psalmist prayed that he might fly away from his troubles. He wanted a quick escape from all of them.

Psalm 55:6

“And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.”

We have often prayed this prayer as well during times of distress and despair. However, the truth is this. We can’t fly away from our troubles but we can soar above them!! The eagle’s wings depict the strength that comes from the Lord. With God’s strengthening grace we can soar above our grief’s and troubles of life instead of being overcome by them. We can with the ease of an eagle soar on a higher plain and live above our problems, perplexities, and the painful trials we face. In Exodus 19:4 the Lord describes the deliverance of the Israelites in similar language. They were lifted up on God’s “eagle’s wings” of deliverance.

“Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.”

In Psalm 103:5 the strength of people who are nourished by God is compared to the strength of the eagle.

“Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.”

In English the Olympic motto reads: “Swifter, higher, stronger.” Interestingly, the Bible also has an Olympic text. It is Isaiah 40:31: “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.”

Psalm 27:14 compliments this truth:

“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”

As we wait on God’s direction, answer, and future will for our lives, we can be assured that He will sustain us by His infinite recourse of power. He will give us those eagle’s wings so we might soar above our trials by His strengthening and sustaining grace.

2 Corinthians 12:9

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Do we really believe this promise? Is it real to our lives?

One evening after a hard day's work Charles Spurgeon felt weary and sorely depressed. Spurgeon remarks, “Suddenly like a flash of lightning the verse came to mind, 'My grace is sufficient for thee.' Going to my study, I examined the text in the Greek and was impressed by an emphasis I had never seen before. When I read, 'My grace is sufficient for thee,' I laughed and said aloud, 'I should think it is, Lord!' The abundance of His supply, compared to my need, caused my heart to rejoice and made unbelief absurd.”

Yes, we can fly above our troubles with God’s strengthening power and grace. Do you have your wings? God is waiting to take you on a ride above your trials and troubles in life. One man in a hospital told me that the nurses thought he was crazy, when he was singing praises to God, and rejoicing during a time of serious illness. This man had eagle’s wings! God was flying him far above the trials he was facing and giving Him strength, peace, and joy. What a ride!

2. Running through our troubles

The text in Isaiah 40:31 goes on to say that God’s children “shall run, and not be weary.” God by His strengthening grace enables us to run, when the challenges are many, so we can stay in the Christian race. Yes, we are in a race!

Hebrews 12:1 says:

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

Running speaks of the spiritual stamina we receive from God to continue on in the Christian life. God gives us the spiritual stamina to keep us running the race. We will not only be able to fly above our troubles (“eagle’s wings”) but also “run” through our troubles without fainting or becoming spiritually exhausted and depleted. If we are going to keep up our spiritual edge we need to rely upon the Lord’s provision of power and strength for our lives. God’s strength gives us the spiritual stamina to keep us in the race.

2 Corinthians 4:8

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair.”

God enables us to run through our troubles with the daily strengthening power that He provides. How is you spiritual cardiovascular system? Do you need God’s strength to rebuild your spiritual stamina? God wants to build you up (Col. 2:7), keep you from falling (Psalm 116:8), and help you stay on the Christian racecourse (1 Cor. 9:24). Some Christians are sitting in the grandstands, watching others run the race, instead of running the race themselves, and living victoriously by God’s enabling strength.

3. Walking past our troubles

The Bible goes on to say in Isaiah 40:31 that God’s children “shall walk, and not faint.” God enables us to walk past our troubles. Of course, this does not mean that our troubles will necessarily cease. The people were not immediately taken out of their captivity or exile. What this means is that God helps us to walk past our time of testing and trouble victoriously, without fainting, and spiritual defeat. We will not only be able to fly above our troubles (“eagle’s wings”) and run through our troubles with spiritual stamina (“shall run, and not be weary”) but God will also enable us to walk past our trials and troubles (“shall walk, and not faint”) without being spiritually scathed.

“O Master, let me walk with Thee

In lowly paths of service free;

Tell me Thy secret, help me bear

The strain of toil, the fret of care.”

Walking is plodding along in life. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. God is saying that He will strengthen us with each step that we take. What a promise to claim! We can patiently plod along in life and know that God is with us and will enable us to take the next step. The next step may not be easy but God has promised to be with us as we plod along life’s pathway.

William Carey, the father of modern missions, said: “I can plod.” Yes, each one of us can walk past our troubles, knowing that God is with us each step of the way, to give us courage and strength to go on, and to do His will.

“Day by day and with each passing moment,

Strength I find to meet my trials here.

Trusting in the Father’s wise bestowment.

I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.”

Psalm 37:23-24

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.”

“O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,

Leaning on the everlasting arms;

O how bright the path grows from day to day,

Leaning on the everlasting arms.”

Isaiah 40:31

“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.”

Dearly beloved, God will not fail us! What a glorious promise. He gives us the promise of eagle’s wings. We can soar above our troubles in life by His ever-present supply of strength. We can also run through our tribulations with the spiritual stamina He provides. Lastly, God promises we can walk past our trials by His victorious grace and power. Do you need a spiritual lift? Do you need some spiritual stamina? Do you need a spiritual tune up? God and His power are the answer.

Isaiah 26:4

“Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.”

God promises “everlasting strength” to His children. There is no lack or want of supply (“I shall not want” - Ps. 23:1). James 4:6 reminds us of God’s continuous flow of strengthening grace when it says: “But he giveth more grace … unto the humble.” There is always more of God’s strengthening power and grace that is available for our Christian lives so we can soar above our troubles, run through our tribulations, and walk past our trials that we face in life.

When James Gordon Bennett sent Henry M. Stanley to search for David Livingstone in Africa, he said: “Draw on me for a thousand pounds today to provide your equipment, and when that is exhausted, draw on me for another thousand, and when that is done, draw another; but find Livingstone.” In a similar way, God authorizes us to draw on His endless supply of strength. When one day’s supply of strength is exhausted, we are to draw another and then another, and then another. When we learn this secret we can fly upon the eagle’s wings that are promised in Isaiah 40:31.

Let’s go flying!

“When the way still lies before me

And the wind is blowing strong,

When the witnesses surround me

And my strength is almost gone,

When the valley plunges deeper

And life shatters all my dreams,

Then I lift my voice to Jesus

And He gives my spirit wings.

God gives wings, God gives wings as eagles.

God gives wings to fly and strength to rise above.

God gives wings, God gives wings as eagles.

When my feet begin to stumble

And my dreams begin crumble,

I mount up on eagle’s wings.”