Do You Not Know The Easier Way To Soar?
Good Morning Friends,
The Carpenter of Nazareth has so fashioned our yoke of discipline that, when we are connected to Him, we can glide over the pain of disappointments and be lifted over the trials of life.
The goal is to fly like an Eagle. Do You Not Know The Easier Way To Soar?
Scripture: To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for 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.
Isaiah 40:25-31 (NRSV)
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 (NRSV)
“But ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?
Job 12:7, 9 (NRSV)
Message: More than 3,000 years ago, the ancient patriarch Job realized that the birds of the heavens have much to tell us about the handiwork of God. Their characteristic behaviors make them ideal subjects for illustrations and metaphors. And yes, maybe that is one of the reasons we sing during this time of the year about a partridge in a pear tree, turtle doves, French hens, calling birds, geese a laying, and swans a swimming. There are many references to birds in the Bible that can teach us important lessons about life and our relationship with God. Truly, there is much that we can learn from winged creatures. Today’s text from Isaiah gives us truths to help restore hope and he uses the image of the eagle to make his points. He offers good news for those who are struggling. Like the Great Eagles in Tolkien’s Trilogy God comes to save us. The point is that God is not only powerful but also able to solve the problems and burdens of our lives. The attributes of God back up this claim and we see some of this in nature itself. Isaiah likens the way we should rest to the image of an eagle’s fearless and regal majesty as they are perched on a rock or tree. Then Isaiah points out that God has all the time needed to accomplish what needs to be done. This reminds us that the eagle is patient and can see into the distance. Thirdly Isaiah points out that God has the authority and the power and the creative ability, as well as the wisdom, and wants to train us to share in this power. Similarly, eagles are committed to their mates and have a presence of being fearless even in teaching their young to fly. So, this morning friends receive a strength that carries you the distance to victory. Realize that our God is powerfully able to accomplish more than we can imagine. Realize that we are dependent on the Lord. Realize we need to turn to God for our needed rest…. that we need to find strength in God and God alone. So, friends, this morning know that because Jesus bears away the burden of our sins on the cross we can have a peace that the world cannot give. With Jesus gently guiding us we can enter a rest right here and now, not something in the sweet bye and bye… a pie in the sky when we die…we can soar like eagles today and perhaps even like Tolkien’s Great Eagles be as guardians sent forth to help those in need to live the life God intended.
Pray we observe the behavior of the birds of heaven and remember the scriptural metaphors that speak of them. Pray we yoke ourselves to Jesus so that our load is light and his guidance would gently lift us up on the wings of eagles shouldering our burdens. Pray we like swallows build our nests in the house of God. Pray we like storks show the instinctive wisdom regarding the seasons of migration taking notice and discerning the timing of when to go and when to stay, always alert to the significance of world events that mark our time. Pray we like eagles have vision into the distance and do not depend on our own strength but soar on the rising thermals of God’s warmth. Pray we like a hen protect our young from the anxieties of life in the safety beneath our wings. Pray we soar with Jesus.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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