On Eagle's Wings

By

On Eagle’s Wings

                                                                                    Isaiah 40:30-31, NIV

Eagles are some of the greatest creatures God ever put on this earth. Their magnificent flight is something we admire as we watch them float through the sky with great ease. Even John Denver sang about them in his song, “Rocky Mountain High”:

“I know he'd be a poorer man
If he never saw an eagle fly.”

The eagle impressed our founding fathers so much they made it our national bird. At one time the species was endangered but now they have made a comeback and can be seen all over the country. Perhaps many of you have seen them flying overhead as their numbers have greatly increased in our area, especially around Lake Erie. On a recent trip to the Columbus Zoo, we were walking through the North American section and heard a screeching we’d never heard before. It was hard to tell exactly what it was but it was soon evident it was coming from the eagle display.

The Columbus Zoo has been sheltering at least one pair of eagles for as long as I can remember. The other day, however, there were four eagles in the enclosure. (Note: Eagles that are injured are brought to the zoo for care and healing; unfortunately, some of these are so badly damaged they can never be returned to the wild so Columbus and other zoos cooperate in a breeding program to raise eaglets to release into the wild.) We had never heard them make so much noise before but when we got closer, we saw why they were so agitated. Spiraling high above their enclosure was a wild eagle! What a beautiful sight! Several families stood and watched as this eagle came to investigate its caged brethren. It flew as close as twenty feet over the enclosure before soaring away to land in a tree not far away, still gazing at the enclosed birds.

I don’t speak eagle but guessed there may have been a myriad of reasons why the enclosed eagles were making so much noise, but as I watched this scenario taking place, I thought about us. We who are born into this life of sin are a lot like the caged eagles. We can’t go where we want or be who we would like to be because this enclosure of sin is holding us back. We cry out but still are held back by our sin.

Read again the opening scripture. The prophet Isaiah wrote that “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles” (emphasis mine). Our freedom is available to us if we are willing to put our hope in the Lord. So often we think we can work our way out of this life of sin but only hope in the Lord will set us free, only hope in the Lord will release us.

We are approaching the greatest week in history as we once again hear the story of how Jesus took our sins on the cross and died for our sake. In doing so, he offered to us the gift of being free from our sin forever. He is offering hope and a promise of eternal life—but you must decide. Do you want to live your life in the enclosure of sin or do you want to live free with Jesus Christ as Lord of your life? The choice is yours. You can continue to live in a cage or you can live in the freedom that comes from knowing Jesus Christ.

 Ponder these words from the hymn “On Eagles Wings”:

Find yourself in the palm of God’s hand rather than the enclosure of sin. Put your hope in the Lord!