The eagle is a symbol used many times in Scripture, in fact, it is mentioned 38 times throughout the Bible. I believe we can learn some important lessons from this majestic creature of God!
When a baby eagle gets to a certain age, the mother eagles flies into the nest and begins to thrash around causing a great commotion. Eventually one of the babies will fall out of the nest and begin heading for the ground. Never having used its wings before, he’s not really sure what to do, but does a lot of flapping while heading straight down! Just before the baby hits the ground, the mother eagle flies underneath in order to catch the baby on her powerful wings and fly it back to the nest. This continues day after day until the babies learn how to fly.
We can get very comfortable in our “nest”. Perhaps that could be our way of doing things, our way of thinking, our opinions, our way of life. Then when God comes and “stirs up our nest” we get upset. We don’t always identify this as a growing experience. Sometimes if we are really honest, we don’t want to grow. We get very complacent and satisfied with where we are and any interruptions are viewed as a negative. But God wants us to FLY- to become all that He intends us to become. He never stirs up our nest without good reason!
Midway through an eagle’s life (about 60 years old) they go through a renewal process. They find a secret place high in the mountains and begin to claw at their face and tear out the feathers that have been damaged over the years. As a result, the eagles bleeds badly. But this is necessary for the eagle in order to renew its strength. If it did not do this it would not be able to live to its normal 120 years of age.
Psalm 103:5 says “who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.”
A time of renewal is necessary for every child of God. A time when we get rid of what is weighing us down, holding us back, aging us spiritually. A time to give up the sinful habits, to give in to the Holy Spirit in whatever way He is convicting us. We need to do this even to the point of renewal with pain. Some things we hold on to so tightly that to let go, actually causes us pain. But in order to have the long, powerful, useful spiritual life that God plans for us, we need to do that. It will renew our spiritual youthfulness.
When the eagle is free to soar in God’s creation, they are pure and holy. Don’t allow the freedom we are to experience in Him, be compromised by spending too much time in worldly thinking, activities, and mindsets.
Eagles do not fly like other birds, they don’t flap their wings but rather SOAR. Flapping their wings would use incredible amounts of their own strength and endurance and they would require so much more food as fuel if they didn’t soar. Instead they sit on a high ledge and wait for the right wind currents to come. When the time is right, they take off and SOAR upward. Effortlessly, because they have waited for the right time. There is a special “up going” wind, that they ride as it circles higher and higher toward the sky.
What a lesson for us to learn! How often do we waste strength by jumping out too soon and “flapping our wings”, instead of waiting for God’s timing. Waiting is not a popular concept in these days of instant everything. But when we wait on the Lord- wait for His timing- wait for His answers- wait for His direction, the we can SOAR to new heights and fly to new places!
Isaiah 40:31
Those who wait on 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 faint.