Waiting Part 2

Waiting Part 2

 

So…how are you doing in this Waiting? What was different after you learned about the meaning of that Hebrew word, qavah?  For me, I have spent much more time in God’s Word, as well as much more time in prayer dialogue with Him.  This active waiting feels different than how I always thought waiting to be…passive.

As we wait, we have expectations…right?  What comes next, how do I wait “well”?  When will this circumstance change?  As we explore that verse that we know well, Isaiah 40:31 on Waiting upon The Lord, what is next?  We receive something in the waiting.

Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up
with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

This Scripture says we WILL gain new strength, and WILL mount up with wing like eagles.  As I have learned in inductive studying of the Bible, pay attention to verbs – as they tell us something that we can notice.  God loves to help us understand with examples of some thing we know, to be able to better understand what He is trying to tell us.  He is saying this waiting (clinging, pursuing of Him) we will gain new strength and we will mount up with wings like eagles.

New strength…hmmm.  What is new strength?  That revelation just hit me as I was writing this, that this strength I will receive is NEW.  Not something familiar that I can pull out of my toolbox or my closet of things I have relied upon in the past.  This intrigues me!

And….have you every thought about how it would feel to be like an eagle with those wings?  I have and it is breath taking to think about. I have watched an eagle soar and then dive like a bullet into the lake to come up with a writhing fish and I wonder about the ease of soaring and then the rapid maneuver to act when necessary.

The images used in the Bible are to help us grasp a little bit more clearly what God is trying to tell us – like the verse, “have faith the size of a mustard seed”…and if you study more about mustard seed, it is actually the only seed on the planet that cannot be cross-pollinated.  Hmmmm I am now seeing more clearly the FAITH He wants me to have, purely, only Jesus.

Here are some things to ponder as you think about what God wants you to receive and learn about this metaphor of an eagle…in the waiting:

Facts about eagle’s wings that make me want to learn more about how God works in this metaphor of my life.

Because of the design of these up to 7.5 ft wide wingspan, eagles can soar for an hour with less than 2 minutes of flapping. What does that looks like for me?  How does He want me to put forth a little effort and then let Him carry me to new heights?

If an eagle loses a feather on one side, the same feather on the other wing will fall out to keep balance. This made me think of things in my life that just seem to “come loose” and fall away and I am perplexed as to the reason.  What if it is to bring me into the balance He has for me?

Thermal flying is something that eagles can do easily for hours all day, just being sensitive to the thermals created by the sun and leaning into the provision of height that is provides. What is God providing to you to lift you up, what is it that you may not be aware of as a resource?   I wonder if there is more to learn in Mal 4:2 with this perspective?

Being lifted up gives the eagle greater perspective to see and to act upon the provision provided as well.  Eagles eyes are about the size of humans, while their total weight is only about 12-15 lbs.  These eyes can see 5 primary colors, when we humans have 3 (blue, red, and yellow).  Our eyes have about 200,000 cones in our retinas and eagles have approximately 1 million cone cells per square millimeter.  Wow…the vision they have to see the plan, to see the provision, and be able to focus on it. I want THAT in the waiting!!!

And speaking of weight…an eagle can lift a young deer or goat with its talons, something several times it’s weight. That is supernatural strength!  Where are you seeing a need for this new strength in your life right now?

Eagles also have no natural predator and are at the top of the food chain.  They do not ever look over their shoulder, unlike every other bird on the planet.  They do not fear any enemy.  This spoke to me as well.  I do not fear, as the Lord has not given me a spirit of fear, but power, love and self-discipline. 2 Tim 1:7

In the waiting, in this time of Sheltering in Place, of Quarantine, what are you doing to step into these promises of strength…of provision….of “mounting up like wings of eagles”?  I pray you are able to press into this time of waiting in a new, fresh way and be seeking Him with all you are and all you have to learn what it is He can provide that will renew your strength. What does that look like for you right now?

1 Comment

  1. Amy on April 30, 2020 at 12:06 am

    I LOVE everything about this, especially the references to the parts of the eagles!