Isaiah 40:28-31

28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

    The eagle which is the king of birds is a fascinating and beautiful creature. The eagle is a symbol of strength, freedom, and exhalation. Because of its great characteristics Isaiah choose the eagle to illustrate things which happen to the mature child of God.

    God has heights for those who are mature that the immature know nothing about. God gives them strength that others have never experienced. It is possible for the mature child of God to obtain the strength, the freedom, the height and the sight of an eagle in the mature stage of life as well as the later stages of life.

   Even though the eagle is a symbol of strength there are times when an eagle loses its strength. Of course an older bird eventually gets weak with age but not in its spirit. No earthly creature is perfect. Everything and every one has weaknesses and problems. Even the young grow weary and have to rest.

    Man has a three-fold weakness which has been caused by original and personal sin. Man can only stand so much pressure, pain, and physical stress. Man is not a machine or a god. He is only flesh and blood. After a while human weakness takes its toll on everyone. Every individual has a breaking point in the physical, mental, and spiritual realm. Man is weak and unstable in his very character. Man is weak even in his strongest points. Isaiah had more in mind than just physical weakness. He was talking about a tired and despondent spirit. Discouragement will eventually weaken one mentally, physically, and spiritually.

    Man is easily discouraged. Even the youths become discouraged and begin to wonder what is the use of going on. Not everyone is lazy. Not every unfaithful church member is rebellious. Some have just given up and give out.

    A youngster usually has great expectations in life. But time, broken dreams, bitter experiences, bad circumstances, and others rob him of his zeal and courage. One may even reach the point where he wonders why go on. Is there hope after years of failure? Is there hope when it seems like the whole world is against you? Can you get up after you have been down for years?

    One thing is very sure, if you get up in the midst of failure or after failures you must depend upon resources out side of yourself. Depending on one’s weak self or some one else will only create more problems. You must have help from God!

    In the text Isaiah contrasts man’s weakness with God’s strength. God’s strength is everlasting. He doesn’t become tired, weary, or despondent. “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.” Haven’t you heard that God and only God can pick you up, set your feet on solid ground, put joy in your heart, and a new song in your mouth. You know it, but if you haven’t trusted Him to do it. Do it! Do it now!!!

    God is as strong today as He was on the day of creation. His power has not diminished. If He can hold up the universe for thousands of years then surely He has the strength to reach down and pick up a human being who weighs only a few hundred pounds. His name in the Hebrew language is El Shadi. In English this means the Almighty, the Omnipotent One. All the nuclear and atomic power combined cannot equal His awesome power. He has parted seas, defeated entire armies, brought down empires and raised up empires. Picking up a cast down human being is no problem for Him at all. Weakness is not God’s problem, it is man’s problem.

    In order to obtain strength from God man must wait upon God. The text emphasizes the word “wait”. Wait on God! Wait if you have to wait a week. Keep waiting if you have to wait a month, a year, a decade, a lifetime. Wait on God!

   There are times when a mother eagle will force a young eagle out of a very high nest before it can fly. The young eagle will fall toward the ground screaming for its mother. But it has to wait after it cries out. It has to wait for the mother to dive under it and catch it on her back, It has no choice but to wait. So again the Bible says wait on the Lord. Psalms 27:14 “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Are you waiting on the Lord or are you struggling and worrying? Again, the Bible says, “wait on the Lord.”

    An eagle goes through different stages in life. Not even all of life is on the positive side for the majestic eagle. Even eagles have mid-life crises. In mid-life an eagle will molt. It will shed its feathers and lose its ability to fly. At this stage it becomes weak and discouraged. It probably wonders if it is ever going to soar to the heights again. But after a period of time its feathers begin to grow again and it experiences a surge of strength now and then. It begins to dream of the skies and the heights of the clouds. How it longs for the bygone days when it soared high above the clouds.

    As the eagle goes into molt, the child of God goes into a slump.There is the batter’s slump and the track star runs out of breath and after a while he sometimes gets his second wind. There will be times when the child of God begins to weaken and become discouraged. How he longs for the days when his spirit seemed to rise high above the problems of life. He longs for the days when he rode the “…high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.”

    There is hope for the depressed and weak person who waits patiently on the Lord. Are you weak and discouraged? If so maybe you are just going through molt. Take courage and wait on the Lord. Wait on Him to restore your strength, courage and zeal. Then get prepared! Get ready for the skies! Get ready to soar again! Get ready for the mountain tops! Get ready to eat the increase of the field, and enjoy honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock. Get prepared to feast on the butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with the fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashin, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat and drink the pure blood of the grape. Get ready to move out. Get ready to live once again by the power of God Almighty! Get ready for the best God has to offer His people this side of eternity? HEY! FIND A LAUNCHING PAD!!!!!!!!