Soaring Above Our Situation

Yesterday I was reminded of these verses from Isaiah and they are some of my favorite verses. The Lord has spoken to my heart many times with these verses, and I am always encouraged.

Isaiah 40:27-31 NIV:
[27] "Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”?
[28] Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
[29] He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
[30] Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
[31] 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."

Often when I am struggling or weighed down, I can have a little pity party where I think my situation has been overlooked by everyone, and no one cares, etc. Many of those times the Lord has brought me to these very verses, and reminded me of His constant love and faithfulness. He reminds me that He should be my source of strength, my place of peace. David called Him - "My Rock" and that is so true. By rock, we are not talking about some small rock that can fit in our hand, but something more like the Rock of Gibraltor, huge, unmovable, and always there! Sometimes we just need to turn around to see Him (this is basically what repenting means).

In addition to His faithfulness, God also provides the life we need, when we need it. Jesus speaks about how the Spirit is really the true source of life in John 6:63 NIV: "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you---they are full of the Spirit and life."

Finally, the image of soaring on wings of eagles is helpful as well, because the eagle doesn't beat its wings to soar, it just glides on wind currents, and is capable of actually soaring higher without ever moving its wings. If we can catch the wind of the Spirit, we can soar to incredible heights, all with minimal effort on our part.

So let us be encouraged! God sees us, sees our situation and He is not surprised or caught unawares. He is the source of life, strength and hope. Let us lean into the wind of the Spirit and soar above this all!