Isaiah 40: 28-31: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary;
they shall walk, and not faint."
The eagle is the king of the birds.
What the lion is to the animal world, the eagle is to the bird kingdom.
No other bird compares with the eagle in superiority or power.
There aren't as many in the world today as there were in ancient times
when every mountain peak was crowned with an eagle's nest.
The eagle is mentioned 32 times in the Scriptures.
In our text Isaiah said, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles." (Isaiah 40: 31)
The prophet is saying that those who yield their lives and surrender
their wills to God shall renew their strength.
They shall mount up with wings as eagles.
God promises that you and I can be eagle Christians.
Look at some of the characteristics of the eagle's life.
Habits Of The Eagle
The eagle builds his nest in the clefts of the rock and in the crags of the mountains.
Job said: "Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?
She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong places."
(Job 39: 27, 28)
God promises to set us on the high places.
The Psalmist spoke of "The rock that is higher than I." (Psalm 61: 2)
There is a rock in a high place which is a safe refuge for the people of God.
This is the rock of ages.
God has promised to put our feet upon that rock.
It is the rock of security, assurance, and safety.
The Second Habit Of The Eagle Is That Of Rising Above The Storms Of Life.
The eagle takes advantage of the wind to soar and to mount up high in the heavens.
The eagle gets above the fog, the mist, and the clouds.
Every day dozens of people commit suicide in America.
They leap out into utter darkness with a cry of hopelessness on their lips.
They feel that life is a prison sentence.
They have lost sight of the stars.
If they would surrender their lives fully to God, they could rise above the storms
and find the peace of God that passes all understanding.
David remembered this promise when life closed in on him.
His home and hometown were burned to ashes.
His family and families of his friends were made captives by roving bands of outlaws.
But that was not all.
His trials were even greater.
His own men were blaming him for the catastrophe and were threatening to stone him to death.
Look what David did.
The Bible says, "David encouraged himself in the Lord." (1 Samuel 30: 6)
And his life was renewed like the eagle's.
Brushing away his tears, he reorganized his men and went forth to battle.
He conquered his enemies and was victorious over all.
He remembered the wings God had given him and, like the eagle, rose above the storm.
This is what we need to do daily -- encourage ourselves in the Lord.
This would make a tremendous difference in our lives.
Look At What The Eagle Does About His Enemies.
He simply soars up out of their reach.
He puts himself between them and the sun.
He flies into the sun, and there they lose sight of him.
As we get nearer to God, Satan and our enemies cannot reach us.
Satan cannot touch us if we will only direct our lives toward the Sun of righteousness,
who comes to our aid with healing wings.
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide unto the shadow of the Almighty."
(Psalm 91: 1)
Another Habit Of The Eagle Is How He Cares For The Young.
The mates live together beside the nest and are devoted to one another.
Their care for the young is a beautiful and touching picture.
"As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young,
spreadeth abroad her wings, taken them,beareth them on her wings." (Deuteronomy 32: 11)
This verse pictures the mother eagle teaching the little one to fly.
The mother eagle pushes the baby eaglet out of the nest on top of the cliff.
As the little one flies downward, if the eaglet cannot fly, the mother eagle sweeps down swiftly
and spreads out her wings under the little one and bears it up on her wings
lest its life be lost upon the rocks below.
There are times when God will try his people, but He does not put more on us
than we are able to bear.
In Exodus 19: 4 the great Jehovah God speaks to the children of Israel.
He recalls with them how He cared for them during the wilderness.
He says, "I bear you on eagle's wings."
What a beautiful and inspiring picture of God's care of His people
-- as He led them through the wilderness.
God's care for them was like the mother eagle's care of her young.
In their wilderness travels, God's people would sometimes faint along the road,
and there were times when they were hungry and thirsty
-- but God was there to care for them.
God is always there! He still is!
The Heritage Of The Eagle.
The eagle inherits a set of good eyes.
His eyes are very strong and can see the far distances.
As he flies to the heights, he can look out into the vast beyond and see far into the distance.
God makes our lives like the eagle's life.
He gives us vision of our todays and of our future and of the things of God.
Even the old men shall see visions and the young men shall dream dreams.
You and I can lift up our eyes to the everlasting hills and see a heavenly city
and a King seated on His throne.
God gives to us power to see life through His eyes.
Let us yield ourselves fully to Him that our lives may be renewed like the eagle's.
Sermon by Dr. Harold L. White