With Wings Like Eagles
“…but they 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 40:31
Waiting on God. It’s one of the hardest things to do, but one of the most beneficial. Those who take the time to wait on God will find their strength renewed. We all get tired, weary, burdened by the every day problems of life, and want to say, “Stop world, I want to get off!” It is when we are most burdened and stressed that God says, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while”—Mark 6:35. Why? Because when we come to Him, God gives us of His supernatural resources.
Waiting on the Lord involves two things: worship and work. God desires we worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24). And it is when we worship the Lord, God communicates His presence to us. As C.S. Lewis wrote,
“…it is in the process of being worshipped that God communicates His presence to men. It is not of course the only way. But for many people at many times the 'fair beauty of the Lord' is revealed chiefly or only while they worship Him together. Even in Judaism the essence of the sacrifice was not really that men gave bulls and goats to God, but that by their so doing God gave Himself to men; in the central act of our own worship of course this is far clearer – there it is manifestly, even physically, God who gives and we who receive. The miserable idea that God should in any sense need, or crave for, our worship like a vain woman wanting compliments, or a vain author presenting his new books to people who never met or heard him, is implicitly answered by the words, 'If I be hungry I will not tell thee' (50:12). Even if such an absurd Deity could be conceived, He would hardly come to us, the lowest of rational creatures, to gratify His appetite. I don't want my dog to bark approval of my books”—C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms.
God not only desires that we worship Him, but work for Him. Working for the Lord means performing the tasks we were created to do (Ephesians 2:10), and receiving the joy that comes from it. As a singer sings, a teacher teaches, and a carpenter builds, so too do we work by telling others about Christ and doing righteous deeds, while ready to suffer so Christ’s light might shine through us.
When Jesus’ disciples asked Him to eat in John 4, Jesus said, “I have food to eat that you do not know about"—John 4:32. When questioned where He got His food, He replied, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work”—John 4:34. Doing the work that God had purposed and planned for Him, provided Jesus’ nourishment and strength.
As we continually devote ourselves to worship and work, our strength is renewed; we will be able to soar like eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not faint. God will give us the strength to carry on and stand up against the circumstances and trials that assail us—all so that God might receive glory and we might experience the joy of knowing and following Him. Amen.
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.”
—Isaiah 40:31
Waiting on God. It’s one of the hardest things to do, but one of the most beneficial. Those who take the time to wait on God will find their strength renewed. We all get tired, weary, burdened by the every day problems of life, and want to say, “Stop world, I want to get off!” It is when we are most burdened and stressed that God says, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while”—Mark 6:35. Why? Because when we come to Him, God gives us of His supernatural resources.
Waiting on the Lord involves two things: worship and work. God desires we worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24). And it is when we worship the Lord, God communicates His presence to us. As C.S. Lewis wrote,
“…it is in the process of being worshipped that God communicates His presence to men. It is not of course the only way. But for many people at many times the 'fair beauty of the Lord' is revealed chiefly or only while they worship Him together. Even in Judaism the essence of the sacrifice was not really that men gave bulls and goats to God, but that by their so doing God gave Himself to men; in the central act of our own worship of course this is far clearer – there it is manifestly, even physically, God who gives and we who receive. The miserable idea that God should in any sense need, or crave for, our worship like a vain woman wanting compliments, or a vain author presenting his new books to people who never met or heard him, is implicitly answered by the words, 'If I be hungry I will not tell thee' (50:12). Even if such an absurd Deity could be conceived, He would hardly come to us, the lowest of rational creatures, to gratify His appetite. I don't want my dog to bark approval of my books”—C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms.
God not only desires that we worship Him, but work for Him. Working for the Lord means performing the tasks we were created to do (Ephesians 2:10), and receiving the joy that comes from it. As a singer sings, a teacher teaches, and a carpenter builds, so too do we work by telling others about Christ and doing righteous deeds, while ready to suffer so Christ’s light might shine through us.
When Jesus’ disciples asked Him to eat in John 4, Jesus said, “I have food to eat that you do not know about"—John 4:32. When questioned where He got His food, He replied, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work”—John 4:34. Doing the work that God had purposed and planned for Him, provided Jesus’ nourishment and strength.
As we continually devote ourselves to worship and work, our strength is renewed; we will be able to soar like eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not faint. God will give us the strength to carry on and stand up against the circumstances and trials that assail us—all so that God might receive glory and we might experience the joy of knowing and following Him. Amen.
Hey, I just came across your blog by doing a bit of blog-surfing, and I'm glad I did! I've added myself as your newest follower, and I hope you'll check out my Christian devotional site as well: www.nocondemnation81.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed day!
In Christ,
Dakota