Soar Like an Eagle

"Saul and Jonathan–in life they were loved and gracious and in death they were not parted. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger." – 2 Samuel 1:23

The Romans used it as a symbol on their crest. American Indians put its feathers in their war bonnets, and governments use its picture as a symbol of power and authority. It’s the eagle, the king of birds. Eagles don’t merely fly; they soar high above the ground, catching the wind currents with their wings spread up to seven feet (over two meters) in length. When eagles take to the air, their feathers spread out in a curtain that covers the air in such a way that they seem to float suspended.

If you were offered the choice between being a sparrow or an eagle, you probably wouldn’t hesitate in choosing to be an eagle. After all, who wouldn’t choose to soar with the eagles rather than live in the barnyard with chickens? An eagle with a broken wing, living among chickens, is a sight to be pitied.

I am convinced that God intended His children to soar as eagles above the mundane, meaningless existence known as survival. Why do I say that? Well, there’s the clear statement of Isaiah who wrote: "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Isaiah 40:31).

Isaiah used three levels illustrating his point: walking, running and soaring as an eagle. If we are to rise above the gravitational pull of so much in life, soaring as an eagle, it has to be as Isaiah described, that our hope and existence are in the Lord.

"OK," you may be thinking, "how do I soar like an eagle spiritually?" It is like this: When you became God’s child, the Holy Spirit came to indwell your body and your life. The Bible tells us this, but there is still that ongoing struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. You are the one who determines who will dominate your life: you or God. And when you make the decision to let God’s Spirit guide, motivate and direct you, you begin to soar in a dimension of life, which is akin to an eagle’s flight.

Far too many of us are content to live the life of a sparrow when we could soar with the eagles, among the clouds, where the air is pure and fresh, untouched by the smog and pollution of our old world. As Isaiah commanded: Mount up with wings as eagles. There’s plenty of space where eagles soar.

Resource Reading: Galatians 5:22-26