Soar on Eagles’ Wings

They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar on eagles’ wings; They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint. [Isaiah 40:31]

Birds are used as Christian symbols. The peacock symbolises immortality, based on an ancient belief that the flesh of the peacock did not decay. The dove is well known as the symbol of the Holy Spirit. The goose represents providence and vigilance. The lark is a symbol of the humility of the priesthood, because it flies high and sings only when in flight towards Heaven. The stork is a symbol of prudence, vigilance, piety, and chastity.

The eagle is a symbol of the Resurrection based on an ancient belief that the eagle would renew its youth and plumage by flying near the sun and then plunging into water.

Who fills your days with good things, so your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. [Psalm 103:5]. The eagle is also representative of St. John the Evangelist.

In Australia, the wedge-tailed eagle is Australia’s largest bird of prey and one of the largest eagles in the world. It has a wingspan of 2.3 metres. Living in Western Queensland provides me many opportunities to see these magnificent regal birds close up, and several years ago I was involved in a study into their traits and characteristics.

Eagles are born with big, heavy wings. They learn to fly without actually flapping their wings. They do this to conserve energy. Instead they rely on wind thermals, a gust of wind that will rise up from the atmosphere. The wind lifts the eagles and with a mix of flying and soaring they rise. Their wings are spread straight out and they soar with perfect ease on the wind currents.

Eagles have an innate sense of when a storm is approaching long before it breaks. The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, the eagle sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle doesn’t escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher far above the clouds. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.

As sons and daughters of God we can learn much from the eagle:

You were born with potential.
You were born with goodness and trust.

You were born with ideals and dreams.

You were born with greatness.
You were born with wings.
You are not meant for crawling, so don’t.
You have wings.
Learn to use them and fly. [Rumi]

We can use the storms of life to rise to greater heights. Like the eagles, we too can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward our heavenly Father. If we believe, God will enable us to ride the winds that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment to our lives, for it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them. Just as the eagle has to learn to fly on wind thermals, we, as Spirit-filled Christians, have to learn to fly on the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Eagles have a keen vision. Their eyes are specially designed for long distance focus and clarity. When an eagle sights his prey, he will not move his focus from the prey. To be all we can be, we must have clear vision and remain focused no matter what the obstacles may be. Wide vision enables us to see more windows of opportunity and how they might be utilised. We learn to reach into the deep reservoirs of ability and potential that is within us. With the Holy Spirit dwelling within, we have the vision of the Spirit to see through the eyes of our hearts.

God uses the symbol of an eagle to encourage us to soar higher in our life of faith. God can raise us up to heights beyond our wildest dreams, if we allow ourselves to be led be the Holy Spirit on a daily basis.

The eagle drew courage… Until her children discovered their wings, there was no purpose for their lives. Until they learned how to soar, they would fail to understand the privilege it was to have been born an eagle…. And so one by one she pushed them, and they flew! [From Even Eagles Need A Push by David McNally]

Soar on eagles’ wings and treasure Life!