Wings Like Eagles

"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" (Isaiah 40:31).

The oddest thing about this scripture verse today is that I was going to write this devotion last night and became too tired. I went to bed, not having written it and I woke up at 5:17 this morning. Laying in bed, I tossed and turned, not able to sleep and suddenly I hear God telling me to get up and write. "They will walk and not become weary." "They will gain new strength;" And this was my choice of scripture verse last night for today' devotion.

So God gave me the strength to get up (actually I think He pushed me out of bed) to complete my commitment to Him. God truly is our source of strength and desire. I could not get back to sleep because this promise I made to Him was not complete.

Tomorrow is "Good Friday"! A day we ponder as we are reminded of the beginning of the sacrifice of all sacrifices. On that day we think about Christ's crucifixion. And on these days we hear God say to us "Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10). And here we face the truth about life; that it is tough, that times get hard, and that they most assuredly will get harder, as the "Prince of the power of the air" (Satan) continues to create chaos within this world and among ourselves.

But Praise be to God on High, that He has stretched forth His "righteous right hand" to be involved in our lives. It is He who we call on in times of trouble and it is He that we praise in good times and bad. Because it is He who has promised us "eternal life" through Jesus Christ our Lord, because of this "road to Calvary."

You can lift your head up and stand tall, those of you who are sick and possibly dying. You can stand with character, those of you who may be losing everything you own in this world as the result of a lost job. You can "...mount up with wings like eagles..." those of you whose hearts are heavy with a very serious trial this morning, knowing that the God who stretched out His hand and delivered Christ to Calvary's Tree, is the same God whose righteous right hand, holds you upright today.

There is no way to diminish some of the "troubles" we walk through today, except to realize that this is not our home and we are only passing through. This 70 plus years are not all we have. We have been given a "home in paradise" that Jesus Christ went to the cross to secure for us.

His is risen! He is risen! Praise God, Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. And because He has risen, you can experience everlasting life, at His side.

After 30 plus years of trying to walk with the Lord, I understand that you cannot immediately calm or steady someone with the tribulations we face today. I know that these are mere words that attempt to comfort. I go through the same perplexing dilemmas myself day after day. And I just pick up the Word of God and allow Him to be my "calm." I let Him steady my stride, one day at a time. I too, from time to time think about my difficulties and how much better it would be if they did not exist. But something inside (the Holy Spirit) keeps assuring me that even though this was not my plan (will) for my life, God is still a whisper away with His strength and comfort. It is at those times when I can feel the "wings" on my back that pick me up and plant me on solid ground.

Dave