Animals

Animals

He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:29-31

Eagles are majestic birds, and even though certain types are considered endangered species, the God who created them and gives life to them knows the address of every eagle alive. Eagles build their nests in trees or cliffs—high places that are inaccessible—and they add to their nests each year, using sticks, weeds, and dirt. Sometimes a nest ends up weighing over a thousand pounds, and some nests have been reported to measure up to fifteen feet deep! In these deep nests, a female eagle hatches two eggs, only one of which usually survives to be an adult.

A mother eagle carries her eaglet on her back until it masters the art of flying. Moses spoke of this picture from nature to remind us how God cares for his people: “Like an eagle that rouses her chicks and hovers over her young, so he spread his wings to take them in and carried them aloft on his pinions” (Deuteronomy 32:11). God has probably delivered us from more than we could ever imagine.

An eagle can soar for hours at a time while searching for prey. It rides wind currents, rarely moving its wings. God promises us that if we hope in him, he will provide some of that soaring time as well. It would be great if we could soar all the time, but that’s not how life works. Sometimes we soar, sometimes we run, sometimes we walk, and sometimes we stumble and fall. But the Lord promises to replenish our strength as we hope in him.

God who knows every eagle’s address,

Thank you for the beauty of an eagle’s flight. As we hope in you, please help us to soar; but help us to look to your strength during times of weariness as well. Amen.