One of these works harder than the other!

“(God) … energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts.

For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime

stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.

They spread their wings and soar like eagles,

They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind.”

Isaiah 40:29-31 The Message

 Do you spend more time flapping or soaring?

A hummingbird flaps its wings up to 80 times a second. With that kind of frenetic effort being expended, these tiny creatures are almost always close to the edge of exhaustion. They forage constantly to maintain the ability to flap their way through life.

On the other extreme we find the majestic eagle. He may flap his wings only two minutes out of an hour of flight! What a contrast.

I received a book from a new friend/author this week, Terry Goldman. In his book “Time To Soar – On God’s Spiritual Thermals” he describes the ways God speaks to us, instructs us and encourages us by what he calls ‘spiritual thermals.’

A spiritual thermal may come through the lyrics of a well-known praise chorus, the words of last week’s Sunday sermon, or the wise words of a close friend. More often it’s through a passage we read in Scripture.

In whatever way God speaks to us, it’s always to make life easier and more efficient, never to tax our reserves. Life can be hard … with all the disappointments, delays, detours and troubles that come from living in a fallen world. God doesn’t come along to add to the burden but to relieve it.

Conventional wisdom (as soon as it becomes ‘conventional’ it ceases to be wisdom!), the input of media, the droning of experts … all seem to require more flapping on our part. The journey becomes harder, more and more effort is required and we’re pushed to the edge of our endurance. And in the words of Isaiah above, even the young have trouble staying on their feet.

“But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] will gain new strength and renew their power; they will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not grow tired.” Isaiah 40:31 Amplified Bible

 Ask yourself: Who am I expecting? Who am I looking for? Who am I placing my hope in? Your answer will determine whether you flap or soar through this week!