Where Eagles Fly

Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)  “But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength.  They will fly high on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary.  The will walk and not faint.”

The kind of waiting that is spoken of in this scripture means, “confident expectation”.  It would be similar to the waiting that’s done in a hospital when a baby is being born.  There’s a knowing that a new life, a bundle of blessing, is about to make an arrival.  There is an abundance of ‘confident expectation’ that something good is about to happen! 

It is important to stay focused on ‘who’ God is and in ‘what’ He is doing.  Our confidence should be founded in His character – He is good, He is just, He is faithful, He is merciful, He is wise, He is true to His Word, He is loving, understanding and always on time.  Our ‘confident expectations’ should rest upon knowing and trusting God’s principles, promises, purposes and power will never fail.

I’m convinced the strength spoken of in Isaiah 40:31 is supernatural spiritual strength.  We’re promised that our ‘confident expectation’ will reward us with new strength, and then that strength is related to the eagle’s power to soar high in the sky without tiring.

Why did God use the eagle to relate this promise to us?  Because the eagle is such an amazing creature!  Did you know the strike of a Bald Eagle’s talon is so powerful that its force is twice that of a rifle bullet?  Did you know the term “eagle eye” comes from the fact that eagles can see an object at a distance up to one and a half miles away?  Did you know eagles can dive at 100 miles per hour and pound for pound, an eagle’s wing is stronger than the wing of an airplane?  Of course God knows how fantastic eagles are, He created them!

It is exciting to see an eagle in action in its natural habitat.  We have recently had several sightings of Bald Eagles at the lake where we fish.  I have seen them fly higher and higher into the sky until they become a tiny object circling and gliding overhead, their white tails and heads reflecting the sunlight.  I have watched them dive to the water for fish and perch proudly in the tallest trees.  Their image has been used by people groups throughout history as an identity of strength, stamina and power.  Our own United States of America’s national symbol is the Bald Eagle!

When we have ‘confident expectation’ in our God, who is good in character and never fails in His promises, we gain strength to rise above the things on this earth that would normally hold us down.  Supernaturally, we can soar higher, see further, strike stronger, move faster, live bolder and stand longer.  He is the wind beneath our wings!