Eagles

Ok guys, I have to admit, I just caved from my normal tea routine and grabbed a decaf coffee. It just sounded so yummy. Even though it’s gorgeous outside, although a little dreary, I was sitting at my computer shivering and needed a little something to warm me up. This coffee is doing just the trick.

As I was considering which promise to share this month, one in particular jumped out at me. Maybe because it’s underlined in bold in my Bible, but I think it’s mostly because the Lord knows I need to dwell on the Truth of this verse every day of my life. This particular passage is also a favorite of my family of origin. My parents have had a plaque with this verse hanging in their living room for quite some time. It has a picture of a majestic eagle soaring above the earth. Any guesses on the verse I’m talking about? If you guessed Isaiah 40:29-31 you are absolutely right. It contains such a pertinent promise to those desiring to live a victorious life in Christ. “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait upon 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.” Those words breathe life into my soul.

I want you to think of a time you have experienced the most physical exhaustion of your life. Think back to what you were doing, how you were feeling, the desires you had at that point. It is not hard for me to pinpoint that time in my life. I have never felt more exhausted than when I was hiking the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon. I was a sophomore in high school and was participating in a missions trip with my church to an orphanage in Jack Rabbit, Arizona. On one of the days my dad led the team on a hike down into the Grand Canyon, and back up on the same day. Granted, there are signs warning hikers not to do this very thing, but I would consider my dad a Grand Canyon pro. Not only has he hiked the Grand Canyon numerous times, he has also ran down and back up. He’s kind of crazy. Regardless, the hike down is very enjoyable and very easy, for the most part. We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the bottom and dipped our feet in a cool, gurgling creek that meets up with the Colorado River. It was picturesque. Then we had to hike out. It was fun for a while, but dear goodness, it got tough! By the time we reached the top again, hours later, I felt like my legs were spaghetti noodles, and I could hardly eat anything because I was so exhausted. That was a time of great physical depletion.

(Check out this old school pic from that Grand Canyon hike)

I am convinced that spiritual exhaustion is a thousand times worse than physical exhaustion. When we get to the breaking point spiritually and feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and done. Maybe you are feeling this now. Maybe you are coming out of a time like this. Maybe the Lord is preparing you for a tough season. Whatever the case, there is so much hope in this promise of God, that even though we become weary and exhausted, we can rest in the hope that when we rely on the Lord and His strength, He will not let us fail; He will renew our strength and give us power. I so need to store up this promise in my heart and recall it often.

My dad has been known to share the story (or maybe legend?) of an eaglet who was raised by chickens. In fact, the eaglet grew up believing that it, too, must be a chicken. It wasn’t until late in the eagle’s life that it realized its true identity and potential and was able to stretch its wings and soar high above his little coop. The eagle had missed out on almost a lifetime of freedom and flying, simply because it didn’t know who it was. Let that not be true of us, children of the King. May you realize Who’s you are, the power that is available to you through Christ, and live in the victory and freedom that brings.