Am I a Parrot or an Eagle-November’s WOW from Chicklit Power

Thanks so much for joining me for a little break today and the conclusion to our WOW for this month. Grab your coffee and come on in and let’s wait a while together as we dig for diamonds in these words of wisdom found in Isaiah 40:31.

So this next part of the verse is why I titled the WOW what I did, but I had no idea I’d find so many truths to tie in my thread of faith that make this title ring out with beauty and nothing like a parrot! “They shall mount up with wings as eagles” definitely got my curiosity years ago when I read this verse for the very first time and it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I heard one pastor’s explanation for the use of the eagle. See, when an eagle is soaring, their wingspan can be as large as eight feet wide, the widest of any bird!

What I so love about our Father speaking about an eagle to and through Isaiah is He could have said, Those of you who wait on/in me, I’ll raise you up on wings of a parrot or a duck, for that matter, but He chose the most amazing bird with the most fascinating wingspan to illustrate His love and compassion for us in our times of waiting. Also, a parrot reminds me of someone who talks the talk and doesn’t walk the walk, but an eagle, well, talk about meek and beautiful!

But there’s more to this than I thought. As I researched about this, I came across a very old commentary regarding this verse which explains that the verb “waiting” brings rest which renews strength, allowing the ascending/raising of the wings. Clarke’s Commentary points out that “It has been a common and popular opinion that the eagle lives and retains his vigor to a great age; and that, beyond the common lot of other birds, he moults in his old age, and renews his feathers, and with them his youth.

And finally, the meaning of the Hebrew is simply, “‘they shall ascend on wings as eagles, or they shall lift up the wings as eagles; and the image is derived from the fact that the eagle rises on the most vigorous wing of any bird, and ascends apparently further toward the sun. The figure, therefore, denotes strength and vigor of purpose; strong and manly piety; an elevation above the world; communion with God, and a nearness to his throne – as the eagle ascends toward the sun.”

Oh, to walk the walk, or fly the journey with wings as an eagle instead of talk the walk like a parrot!
I love what Barnes writes in his commentary about this particular verse, and especially about the last few words: “They shall run and not be weary.” “This passage, also, is but another mode of expressing the same idea – that they who trust in God would be vigorous, elevated, unwearied; that He would sustain and uphold them; and that in His service they would never faint.”

This analogy was at first directed to the Jews in captivity in Babylon to encourage them to put their trust in God. But it is as true now as it was at that time. Many of us who have been in some form of captivity, have experienced some season of painful waiting have found that by waiting on the Lord, our heart has been invigorated; our faith has been confirmed; and our affections have been raised above the world. I know where my strength comes from to endure a circumstance without complaining – well, almost without complaint — to engage in continuous duty without fainting, to pursue the twists and turns in the journey of life without exhaustion, and to rise above the world in hope and peace.

Rising up to the occasion of life,

Evinda

Am I a Parrot or an Eagle-November’s WOW from Chicklit Power

Is it really November 1st? At the risk of sounding like a parrot, I have to confess, I’m not sure where the year has gone, because we all know that with the holidays, the New Year will be here in the blink of an eye! Wow, what a blur! Grab your coffee and come on in for our monthly words of wisdom and weapons of warfare.

I wasn’t too sure what we were supposed to talk about for our WOW, so instead of relying on my own understanding, I asked Him, and last Saturday, in the midst of my run, He reminded me of all that I am learning as I practice living outside my circumstances. I must confess, I am blown away by how much easier it is when scripture comes to life right smack in the middle of my circumstance, enabling me to rise above it instead of staying stuck in it. Not only does this month’s wow do just that, but it holds me accountable, keeping me from just talking the talk instead of walking the walk, or flying the coop!

So let’s get into our words of wisdom and weapons of warfare found in Isaiah 40:31: Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings of eagles, they shall run and not grow weary; they shall walk and not grow faint.

There are a few word pictures in here so let’s break this down so it will root in our heart and take flight in our hearts. The first words that beckon me to stop and ponder them are “wait on the Lord…” The verb wait never used to be anything I liked to do, and in some cases, it’s still a struggle. But when you add “on the Lord” to the equation, that’s like saying wait + the Lord = Hope, so it’s gotten a lot easier for me.

There are so many circumstances, seasons, difficulties that require us to wait: The mom waits for her prodigal child to return from his/her wandering. The wife waits for her husband to join her in her faith. The childless woman waits to conceive. The jobless person is waiting for a job while the ownership of their home is dwindling away. The hungry homeless man is waiting for food and shelter. The trafficked victim is waiting to experience a rescue. Some of us are waiting for someone we love to get over their addictions.

The list goes on and on and on. All of these themes of waiting have the same theme: they signify a measure of faith, a sort of looking toward or for, a faith that fuels hope, or is it hope that fuels the faith?

Back in the days of Isaiah, the term “wait upon” referred to servants waiting for their Master’s orders! Have we strayed from that waiting? In modern usage, those who wait are those who show their confidence in the God’s ability and willingness to fulfill His promises by patiently awaiting their fulfillment. Let me turn to my concordance and see what we find.

OMG, the Hebrew translation for the word “wait” is to adhere to! That makes my skin tingle as I visualize that. I can literally see myself clinging to Him, sometimes loosely, and oftentimes ever so tightly. I want so much to paint this verbal picture so you can see yourself adhering to Him! Picture a tree and its branches. The branches don’t worry about how they will stay attached; they just are. He is the tree and we are His branches. He’s our glue when we feel we are coming unglued!

During these tough situations of waiting on the Lord, there is something to help us wait, a promise if you will: renewed strength! Then if that’s the case, I’m not really waiting on my own, but on and in Him and when I am losing strength, I simply just need to come back to my source of strength. I can also almost see an exchange taking place here, the waiting for renewed strength. Wow, after all I’ve learned about waiting, it all boils down to the truth that this type of waiting is restful!

Whew, I’d better let you go for now, but please join me tomorrow for the conclusion of our monthly WOW! We won’t have Power Friday like we usually do because I don’t want to interrupt this!

Renewed,

Evinda