On Wings of Eagles

Eleanor came home one evening to find her children huddled together. She wondered what they were doing with such interest. When she finally got a glimpse of what was going on, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Right in the middle of the circle were several baby skunks. She screamed at the top of her voice, “Children, run!” Each kid grabbed a skunk and ran!

The people of Israel were like this when God rescued them from slavery. Each one grabbed something from Egypt and ran in a different direction. They grabbed hold of idolatry and cultural ways that were not like God’s ways, but like Egypt. God had a lot of work to make an obedient people out of this group. They were often disobedient, faithless, and obstinate. Nonetheless, he had chosen them, and their life as a free nation had begun.

Once when I was working at my computer, one of my little granddaughters was sitting in my lap. She was digging in my shirt pocket. As I looked out of the corner of my eye, I watched the stuff all being extracted piece by piece from my pocket. She examined each piece very meticulously: my glasses, my pens, my papers, and I thought that was all I had, but she kept putting her little hand deep into my pocket. I didn’t pay much attention because I thought she had pretty well cleaned me out. After a few minutes, I noticed she was relatively quiet and wasn’t fidgeting. I looked down at her, and she had found a toothpick and had it in the corner of her mouth exactly the way I do. She was imitating me. The one thing we want to do is learn to imitate Christ and not this world.

As parents and grandparents, we should remember that our kids and grandkids are imitating us. We may not realize it, but they are absorbing everything that they see and hear. We want to learn to imitate him and not the people around us. We also want to live in such a way that those who are watching us will be imitating Christ when they imitate us. God was proposing to his people that they learn to imitate him, not the people around them.

Exodus 19:3-6 Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel:  ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.  Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

They had seen God, what did—10 incredible plagues that broke the chains of slavery. They saw it and experienced it. They exited Egypt in mass by the hand of God. They saw God deliver them from Pharaoh’s hand when they were between his army and the Red Sea. How many times had God swooped down and carried his people on eagles’ wings? They had arrived at the mountain where God promised they would come. God had made good his promise, and now they would worship him on his holy mountain.

This is a picture of a mother eagle caring for her young. Eaglets are especially helpless, remaining in the nest for as much as 3 months until they are big enough to fly. The eagle builds an enormous nest, 6 feet in diameter and 5 feet in depth, for its eaglets. They are delighted to play and wait for their food to be delivered to their mouths. They live this comfortable life unaware of the day they will have to fly. Getting the eaglets out of the nest is a gradual process. The birds are taught to flap their wings to build coordination. They are enticed to venture out near the nest and flap their wings to build muscle. Food is often reduced, but ultimately, the eaglets have to take the leap. “When it is time for the young birds to leave the nest and learn to fly, the eagle stirs up the nest, but does not abandon her young. If they experience difficulties, the mother swoops down below them. She lifts them on its wings, bringing them back to safety.” They are now expected to leave the nest and learn to fly. They have become quite comfortable and don’t want to leave the nest. Now staring down two thousand feet through the holes, they decide that Mom is serious about this thing called flying. She watches each one. They are hundreds of feet in the air, learning to use their wings for the first time is a frightening experience, but when they fail to fly. She spreads her wings and swoops under them and carries them back again to try again.

Such an illustration is what Moses said God did with Israel, time and time again, in the wilderness. No incident is as graphic as this —the crossing of the Red Sea and his provision and safety in the desert. They had been delivered from slavery, but they were vulnerable to starvation and to attack by their enemies. So God lifted them up on his mighty wings, providing them with food, water, and victory in battle. He does the same for us today!

 

Finding Strength in God

David found himself in the worst situation of his life when he returned from a journey. It was about sixty miles to his home of Ziklag, about a three-day march. When he and his men arrived, they found their homes had been raided and burned and their families and livestock gone (1 Sam 30:1). David deduced that their families had been taken alive because there were no signs of killing. He and his men wept aloud for their loss until they had no strength left (1 Sam 30:4).

The men blamed David for the situation and talked of stoning him. It had been David’s idea to leave Israel and live in Philistine territory. Maybe this whole idea had now backfired, and it had all ended in a disaster because of David.

In this moment of anxiety, David was greatly distressed, “But David found strength in the Lord his God” 1 Sam 30:6). This is an extraordinary statement that is relevant today. We, too, experience stressful situations, and it is these moments that we need to turn to the Lord for help.

David took advantage of the Priest, Abiathar, and the ephod to seek God’s guidance. We don’t know how the process worked, but it gave David guidance. It was used here as a means of asking the Lord about whether or not David and his men should pursue the raiders and whether or not they could find them. God’s answer came in the affirmative (1 Sam 30:7). David obeyed the Lord and pursued the raiders. He did not know who these raiders were, but he suspected they were the Amalekites, and he was right.

They had to be weary after a three-day march, and then to begin a forced march in pursuit of the enemy was too much for 200 of the 600 men. David left those men in the Besor Valley to rest and take care of their baggage (1 Sam 30:9).

God did not give David a detailed map of where to go, but he did send him someone who would lead them to the raiders. They found an Egyptian who had been left by his master and who was starving to death (1 Sam 30:11-12). He had been part of the raiding party, and with David’s promise that he would not be harmed, he led them to the enemy. They found the enemy celebrating their spoils and launched a surprise attack that lasted 24 hours. They recovered their families and much more.

When they returned to the other 200, some troublemakers among David’s men did not want to share spoils with them. They said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered” (1 Sam 30:22). David’s response was, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us” (1 Sam 30:23). The troublemakers’ view was we did this. On the contrary, David believed that God did this, and he has given us the spoils so they will be shared with each man. That is a view of grace. There is no room to boast.

Will I Trust God?

Our greatest challenge is trusting God with all our needs. There is an Old Testament story about facing a crisis that addresses this important issue, “Will I trust God with each crisis or not?” The answer to that question is critical to the success of our Christian experience. It is a tough thing to trust God. It’s not natural. Most of us are inclined to trust our instincts and be guided by our experience. We often have to suspend logic and even our desire for comfort to trust God. Here is the story summarized from 2 Kings 4:1-7.

A poor widow went to the prophet Elisha for help because of her dire situation. It was so bad her sons would be taken to pay her debts. Elisha asked, “What do you have in your house?” She replied, “Nothing really, except a little oil.” Elisha instructed her to gather all the jars she could get her hands on, including borrowing from her neighbors. Then, the prophet said to fill up each jar with her oil. She did as he had directed; she began pouring, and the oil flowed until every jar filled. She could sell the oil, pay the debts, and live on the proceeds.

Most of us minimize our gifts as this lady did. There is no challenge too big for God. By the same token, God’s gifts are not measured by big and little, great or small. God used one small stone in David’s hand to bring Goliath down and one boy’s lunch to feed five thousand. “I have nothing except a little oil” describes our scarcity mentality. God’s solution not only supplied the need but was also meant to teach the woman to not despise what she had.

God wanted this lady and her sons to expand their faith. They would need more empty jars than they possessed. She was told to get as many as she could find. “Don’t ask for just a few,” the prophet said. When she had collected all the jars, she was to start pouring and not stop until every jar was filled. Once she had filled all the jars, the oil stopped flowing. This is the part that belongs to God. It is the miraculous. It is the part where having done our part, God then does the rest. My question is, “Can you trust God to meet your needs?” God can do anything, but we must trust him and not despise the gifts he has already given us.

Run to God

We live in a stressful world that makes impossible demands on our lives, affecting our mood,  how we relate to our families, and, most importantly, God. God knows how we are because he made us. He knows we need to relieve stress, so he gave us a stress plan. There are many places in God’s Word where he tells us how to deal with stress, and here is one that has meant so much to me.

Isaiah 30:15 “This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.”

The secret to this plan is to develop a quiet time where you learn to trust God. This quietness, in time, becomes a way of life. It’s God’s offer that if we abandon all other hope but him and commit to the truth of his word, he will be our strength. Notice, however, the last few words of the verse, “but you would have none of it.” How do we refuse God’s offer? We do it more than we realize. We do it every time we hurry into a business decision without consulting him or every time we form a new relationship and leave him out. We do it whenever we think we can find our own happiness apart from God.

Judah said, “No thanks, God. We will ride off on swift horses” (Isaiah 30:16). How many times do we ride off in the opposite direction of God’s offer in search of our solutions? That is exactly what Jonah did and it didn’t work out too good for him. God warned Judah that their search would be futile and would end up in loneliness “like a flagstaff on a mountaintop.” We have all felt the loneliness of abandoning God’s offer of meeting with him. We often ride off in search of self-validation, but what we really long for is God’s validation.

I am encouraged to see the next verse because it tells us that although you may have refused God’s offer of communion, he still waits for you to return. God longs to be gracious to you.”

Isaiah 30:18 “Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;

he rises to show you compassion.

For the LORD is a God of justice.

Blessed are all who wait for him!”

 

The Rock

 

The nation of Israel journeyed from Egypt to Canaan but often found themselves lacking food and water. On one occasion, they became so thirsty as they trekked through the desert that they became extremely anxious. Eventually, they became infuriated with Moses and demanded he give them water to quench their incredible thirst. The critical point of the story is their inability to maintain self-control in tough times and trust God. God had already provided water when they had none and food when they were hungry. They could have prayed to him and believed he would meet their need again, but they didn’t.

They sinned in three ways making the story relevant because we, too, have trouble trusting God to meet our needs. First, they demanded God’s provision immediately (Ex 17:2). The sin here is demanding God’s provision—not asking for it or waiting for it, but insisting on it. They were telling God that he had to give them what they wanted or else. Secondly, they denied God’s security (Exodus 17:3). They assumed the worse and began to predict a calamitous end for all of them. They quickly concluded that God had abandoned them and left them to die. All this pointed to their lack of trust. It does not follow logic that God would have sent the plagues and opened the Red Sea just to let his people die of thirst. Thirdly, they doubted that God was actually with them (Exodus 17:7). If only they had remembered what God had done for them.

God’s answer was to provide water for the people in the middle of the desert (Ex 17:6). He gave instructions for Moses to strike a rock with his staff, and water would come out. God also promised to stand there before Moses at the rock. This was none other than an Old Testament theophany where Christ appeared in human history before the incarnation took place.

Moses moved toward the rock that God had pointed out. He is invigorated as he sees Christ standing near the rock. The Israelites trail Moses as he leads the thirsty Israelites to the rock. What an inspirational picture—let us lead this thirsty world to the rock, which is Christ Jesus. As Moses got closer to the rock, he could still hear the murmurings of the people behind him. However, his heart pounded with the assurance that God had spoken to him and that He would watch over his word to perform it. With every step, his faith grew stronger—just the sight of the rock inspired him and of the presence of the Lord of Hosts standing there. Moses lifted his rod high in the view of all the Elders of Israel and then struck the rock. Suddenly, as if a giant gate had been opened—water burst forth from that rock. The sight of the life-giving water running in the hot sand was almost more than the mind could grasp. The water gushed out with force and moved throughout the whole assembly of Israel, forming a beautiful flowing stream. I envision laughter and delight as thousands drank and played in that fresh water.

Trust

Just three hours from where I grew up is Sequoia National Park, home to one of the most magnificent forests on the planet.  General Sherman, the tallest and largest tree on earth, stands nearly 30 stories tall. It is around 2,500 years old. General Sherman began to grow about the time the Jews were taken into captivity in Babylon. It is the most massive living thing in the world. Although it only grows one millimeter per year, that growth translates into new wood equal to that of all the wood in a 50-foot tree! The Giant Sequoias don’t have a tap root like most trees, instead they have a massive root system that spreads out to 300 feet around the tree. Even though the roots are very shallow, they sustain the tree by spreading out and connecting with other trees, giving stability to the tall giants. This intertwining of the roots is one of the ways the trees share resources like water, thereby protecting them in times of drought. Many predators try to damage the trees, such as disease, insects, and especially fire, but a very thick bark protects them from most of this. However, not all fire is dangerous for the trees. The Sequoias benefit from fire. Each cone contains 2,000 seeds, some 400,000 per tree, but it takes the heat of a fire to open up the cones and drop the seeds. The fire clears the soil and makes it ready for a new tree to grow. Seeds can lie dormant for up to 20 years before dropping in a soil that is fertilized by the ash left from the fire.

Creation is evidence of a creator and of our need to recognize him. God has made us dependent on him, and once we realize that, our life changes for the better. A fruitful life is a process that requires our trust in God and cooperation with each other. We were made to be connected to God and each other, and only then do we grow and produce fruit. That fruit rarely comes until we have experienced the trials of life and maintained our trust in God.

Trust prefaces the Christian life. Missionary John Patton to the New Hebrides Islands had difficulty translating the word trust since he could not find a similar word in their language. While he was looking for a way to convey trust, he was leaning back in his chair. He finally translated it by saying trust is leaning back on Jesus with all your weight. This kind of trust is the essence of the Christian life. First, we trust Jesus to save us and wash away our sin. Secondly, we trust him to lead us through life. Thirdly, we trust him with eternity; as a result, we experience peace.

The Apostle Peter tells us to: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). The very act of casting our anxieties on the Lord means that we are asking for his assistance and trusting him to help us. We acknowledge that the worry and anxiety are too heavy to carry alone. The Apostle Paul gave us a spiritual recipe for dealing with anxiety: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9).

•    First, count your blessings and learn to see the good instead of the loss.

•    Second, act right regardless of how you feel.

•    Third, commit to God in prayer all your worries and anxieties.

•    Fourth, as a result, you receive the peace that transforms you. 

•    Fifth, train your thinking to stay centered on things that are true.