With Wings as Eagles – January 12, 2003
It’s been said that an eagle knows when a storm is coming long before it breaks. The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, the great bird sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle soars, actually using the storm to lift it higher.
Each of us can similarly respond to life’s difficulties and sorrows. When the storms of sickness, failure, disappointment, and even tragedy strike, we can survive them – even rise above them by being spiritually prepared. God can carry us through adversities that would otherwise crush us. Just as the eagle is able to feel the calm above the storm, we too can feel God’s peace even in the midst of tribulation. It doesn’t mean that we try to ignore the heartache or deny the reality of the pain. Rather, we take an authentic look at it, enlarging our perspective by believing that some good can come from the crucible experience. We can become refined and strengthened, wiser, and more teachable, by enduring well the challenges of life.
The storms of life do not have to overcome us. When they come – as the surely will – we can rise above them by setting our hearts on everlasting things. We’re lifted as we listen to beautiful music and stirs the soul; we’re lifted as we spend time in prayer and contemplation; we’re lifted as we reach out to others in kindness; we’re lifted as we turn our hearts to heaven and allow God’s power to comfort our souls. The prophet Isaiah gives us this promise: “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles.”1
Program #3830
1. Isaiah 40:31.