The 40th chapter of Isaiah appears to be a prophecy in two parts, or for two separate times in history. The thrust of the text are for both: those would undergo Babylonian captivity and spiritually those who are in captivity to sin. At the time of the writing, God speaks comfort beforehand, for those who would eventually suffer the results of Babylonian capitivity. This text is relevant to us today as it was in time of Jeremiah. Those who wait on the Lord (today) 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. The promises of the text are predicated upon whether or not we are willing to wait on the Lord. Thus, it is essential to to understand the meaning of the word wait as used in the text. The word as used in the text was "qavah" (Kaw-vaw). "Qavah" means, "to wait upon" but it also means, "to bind together (by twisting)." Those who wait upon God are in a sense willfully binding themselves to God’s will, confidently expecting His plan to produce the best possible results. Waiting on God does not mean simply watching the time until God delivers. The English word "waiting" can be equated with the act of serving. Waiters serve you in restaurants. They take your order, and attempt to get it for you. Now, observe the waiter does three things in a restaurant: First, they prepare to serve you. Second, they seek your will. Third, they execute your will to your satisfaction. Thereafter, you the beneficiary in most cases will tip the waiter for quaility service. Don’t you know that if we wait upon God, He too will tip us. Wait I say, up on the Lord.
Now, consider the tips for waiting upon the Lord.
I. Renewal of Strenght (The Eagle renews his feathers annually.)
A. Spiritual Renewal
B. Physical Renewal
C. Mental Renewal
II. Mount Up with Eagle Wings.
A. Sees the storm beforehand.
B. Prepares for the storm by flying to the highest point.
C. In the storm, he locks his wings to mount up on top of the storm. Flapping his wings would be tantamount to struggling against the wind but locking his wings enables him to be wind-aided. The Eagle does more than fly amid the storm, he flies on top of the turbulent winds. Let every child of God mount up with wings of an eagle during their respective storms.
III. The Blessings of Eagle Wings.
A. He flys with Purpose. (He was design to fly) There are too many yards birds in the church.
B. He flys for Pleasure. (The eagle gets his greatest joy nearest the sun. The higher he flys, the smaller things on the earth become. In others words the closer he gets to the SUN the smaller earthly things become. It is also true that closer we get to the SON the smaller earthly things become.
C. He flys for Purity. When a virus attacks his beak, the eagle will soar high to allow the air pressure to burst the build-up.
D. He flys for perspective. The high flight allows for the proper perspective of the earth. The higher the flight the larger the perspective.
E. He flys for Peace. The flying eagle has no concerns about seas and rivers. He doesn’t worry about eartly tormentors. Crows, buzzards, chickens, pigeons, humming birds etc., cannot rise to such high levels. Christians who mount up with eagle wings can enjoy that same kind of peace that liberates him form the yard birds of the church.
Examples of yard birds:
A. Gossip birds. (those who talk about the demise of others)
B. Humming birds. (those who hum and murmur about everthing)
C. Buzzards (those who eat dead stuff)
D. Crow (those who boast over the distress of another)
IV. How Do We Mount Up With Eagle Wings.
A. Prayer enables us to mount up.
B. Meditation enables us to moutn up.
C. Godly fellowship enables us to mount up.
D. Heavenly thoughts enables us to mount up.
E. Christ focus enables us to mount up.
G. Bible study enables us to mount up.
H. Sharing God’s goodness, enables us to mount up.
Conclusion: You were made to soar with the wings of an egale. But amid soaring, you may have serve with a towel in your hands. The trials of life often drain us of vitality and cause us to faint. But God has promised that if we wait upon Him, He will renew our strenght. When the burdens of life confront you, mount up with eagel wings and fly to highest point; "there wait patiently upon the LORD."
May God Bless and keep you.
Pastor Rodney L. Johnson Sr.,
Historic Bethlehem Church
Hahnville, LA.
70057
