Jalal al-Din Mu?ammad Rumi, a 13th-century Afghanistan-born poet and scholar once remarked: “You were born with potential. You were born with goodness and trust. You were born with ideals and dreams. You were born with greatness. You were born with wings. You are not meant for crawling, so don't. You have wings. Learn to use them and fly.” Revelation 12:14 reminds us: “But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.”
Wings are generally defined as the modified forelimbs of a bird that bear large feathers and are used for the purpose of flying. The structure of a wing is designed to create lift. In aerodynamics, lift is achieved through the movements and motions of a wing. During flight, a bird flaps its wings to gain height and speed in two separate opposing motions called a “downstroke” and an “upstroke”. The downstroke is deemed as the primary stroke that creates power, with the tips of the wing moving forward and downwards, this creates lift and most of the thrust. During the reverse upstroke, also known as the recovery stroke, the tips move upwards and backward with the wing slightly imploded to reduce resistance.
Wings are also an essential component of an aircraft’s design and structure. They enable a plane to obtain lift and remain airborne. The shape of aircraft wings causes air to move faster over the top of the wing, which reduces the opposing air pressure. This creates a differential in the duress between the top and bottom of the wing, which aids and sustains lift.
In the Bible, the symbolic image of God's wings represents a place of refuge and protection and suggests the notion that we can fly with God. Psalm 91:1-6 reminds us: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
Wings also represent strength. The wings of an eagle mentioned in the Bible are regarded as a symbol of power and durability. Isaiah 40:31 reminds us: “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.” Some angels also have wings.
Wings are said by some to create a certain freedom in life. There is an idiom: “Spread your wings and fly away.” This allows for an individual choice of direction. Wings hopefully take one where they need to go. However, Psalm 32:8 reminds us: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” Everyone needs an element of good direction in life from the youngest child to the most elderly of adults. What better form of lift than in a guiding and purposeful direction from God? It is the assurance and satisfaction that what we are achieving is actually God’s will. Revelation 6:1-17 reminds us: “Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.
When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword. When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!”
And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!” When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him.
And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth. When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
Wings are said to aid progression. Jarrid Wilson, an American author once remarked: “God is looking for progression, not perfection. And you can’t find progression unless you have direction. Let God be your compass. Let the way you study, spend time with friends, act in your relationships, and learn be done through the direction of God Himself.”
Although humans are not physically capable or equipped to fly, the metaphorical supposition behind the presence, or active essence of wings, suggests that one has the ability to achieve a similar function in life. In flight mode, the symbolism of wings provide a progressive force that enables a person to focus on goals with strength and confidence. Psalm 104:1-5 reminds us: “Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved.”
Eagles are renowned for their large wingspans. These represent strength, courage, freedom and protection for their young. They have the ability to soar above the general challenges, or turmoils of life with precision and pinpoint accuracy. There is a saying: “Fly like an eagle, let your spirit carry you.” Eagles possess confidence and a determination to succeed in all their endeavors. They portray good leadership qualities that include fearlessness, vision, and tenacity. Deuteronomy 32:11-12 reminds us: Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, the Lord alone guided him, no foreign god was with him.
Amen.
