Eagle's Wings...

The last couple of weeks I've had a lot of questions. I don't look for them, they just come unexpectedly. I reached the limit (again) and decided it was time for a heart to heart with God. He brought me to Isaiah 40. A familiar passage, but somehow different.

He silenced me with verses 1-27. The highlights? The glory of God will be revealed. The grass will wither and the flower fade, but God's word stands forever. He will come with might and He will rule, but He will also tend His flock like a Shepherd. He has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, marked off the heavens, calculated the dust, and weighed the mountains in a balance. He did not have to seek out understanding, or determine the path of justice because He IS knowledge. He sits above the earth, He created the stars and calls them by name. He is great and mighty. In short, He doesn't owe me an answer.

The end of the passage closes with a reference to the eagle. As I came to the very familiar verse I pondered why the eagle? Out of all of the analogies He could have used why would He want us to soar like eagles? Did you know the eagle's wings were designed for soaring? The bald eagle has a wing span of 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 feet. They are not created for short flights. Flapping their wings and trying to lift themselves up to their soaring height of 10,000 feet would be futile. Instead their wingspan captures the range of thermal air currents generated from mountains and valleys.

In light of our education on the eagle, let's plug the analogy into this passage. Because He is the Everlasting God and Creator, the things of this world do not tire Him. From His vantage point there is no need for panic. Do not take matters into your own hands and try to rise to the height He has called you to by your own mere strength. When you are tempted to panic and flap...wait. He will bring you to the next mountain or valley...and you will soar.

All things new...

This entry is a little overdue, but I still want to share. On December 31, 2007 our family was blessed with the arrival of my niece, Allison. Her timing was a breath of fresh air for our family. We were all eagerly anticipating the possibility of a Christmas arrival, yet God had a different plan. Somehow it seemed right...closing the chapter of the old with the gift of new life.

As I held her I was amazed at how perfect she was. Innocent. Untainted. I was filled with hope. This little child was perfectly planned and formed by her heavenly Father. "My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secred, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them." (Ps 139:15-16) I am filled with hope for all of the DIVINELY appointed days Allison has in front of her. I would love to protect her and my little nephews from the harsh realities of life. In my limited time with them I want to anticipate their falls and kiss away their tears. More than anything my prayer is that they will find God in each of their days. "But the land into which you are about to cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares, the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year." (Deut 11:11-12) As we come to the end of the first month of this year may we know that God is in each of our days. He has already walked ahead of us into our tomorrows...His eyes are continually on us even to the end of the year.