The Wind Beneath Our Wings
Two weekends ago, I had the opportunity to go on the Women's Ministry day-trip to Columbia. It was a beautiful day, and I felt like I had an extra (metaphorical) "feather in my cap" because I actually remembered to use sunscreen!
Speaking of feathers...
For the devotional on that trip, Serena read from Isaiah 40. Verse 31 says,
"But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint."
She then asked us to close our eyes and imagine what it must feel like for an eagle to soar. This was great to do outdoors, especially with a light breeze! The warmth from the sun, the feeling of the wind, and the scent of clean air made this Bible passage very tangible for me. As I've studied Isaiah 40 in the past, I appreciated the eagle verse, but felt more weight from the verses around it. Picking up at the last couplet in verse 28:
"He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint".
I want to have the renewed strength that comes from trusting in the Lord. I've definitely felt weary and faint from running - literal running and "running" through life. I don't feel like a soaring eagle! But that imagery is part of this passage. I've continued to contemplate the more tactile idea of soaring since then, and the image that comes to mind is another bird, but this one doesn't soar. How many of us are trying to fly through life as hummingbirds, when God called us to be eagles?? Hummingbirds can be super cute and fun, and you'd probably prefer to see one in your garden over a large bird of prey! But they work HARD. They flap their tiny wings a million beats per minute, their hearts race really fast, and they have to eat way more sugar than even I would be comfortable with! This is how God created the hummingbirds... but in all the bird imagery in the Bible, I don't see the Lord recommending any of us live this way. And I can't even picture what an eagle trying to beat it's wings as hard and fast as a hummingbird would look like... oh wait, probably the weak and tired youth in verse 30!
In order to soar, and not be tired, we have to be willing to let go of our frenetic wing-flapping and rely on the Lord to be the wind that holds us aloft. In order to have new strength, we first have to trust.
Jesus taught using birds to make a point in Matthew 6:25-34:
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?"
“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?"
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today."
Your Creator cares for you far more than eagles or hummingbirds, or penguins, emus, or ostriches. (Those last few are flightless birds - does God care about them less because they aren't bluejays? No!) What would it mean for you to live as a soaring eagle seeking the Kingdom of God?