Mounting Up With Wings As Eagles Isaiah 4031 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 ID: 441695
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Slide1
Renewing Our Spirit
Mounting Up With Wings As EaglesSlide2
Isaiah 40:31
“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.”Slide3
Renewing Our Strength
The Problem – Weariness of Heart
The Prescription – Waiting on God
The Power – Wings As EaglesSlide4
The Problem
– Weariness of HeartSlide5
The Problem – Weariness
Isaiah wrote the words of his prophecy to those who were captives in Babylon.
The captivity had been especially hard on them. They were weary and at the point of fainting.
Notice that Isaiah spoke of “the faint” and of them “that have no might” (Isa. 40:29).
They were beginning to think that their way was hidden from the Lord (Isa. 40:27).
Had been days when they soared – Red Sea, Jericho, Sun Standing Still
The psalmist said that they had lost their song (Psa. 137).Slide6
Psalm 137:1-4
“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?” (Psa. 137:1-4).Slide7
The Problem – Weariness
Although we may not be captives in the sense that those who received Isaiah’s inspired words were, we at times will feel as if we are. As you know, this world can be rather inhospitable. It will at times treat us like it treated our Lord. It will hate us like it hated Him because we also are “not of the world” (John 17:14, 16). Sometimes the company of swine will be preferred over us (Lk. 8:37).
Like Elijah there will be times when we will run for our lives and collapse beneath a juniper tree (1 Kings 19:1-8).
Being weary and fainting did cease with God’s people in Babylon, it remains today with God’s people in America. Slide8
The Problem – Weariness
Two times in the epistles that he penned, Paul pleaded with brethren not to grow weary or faint.
“And
let us not be weary in well doing:
for in due season we shall reap,
if we faint not”
(Gal. 6:9; cf. Heb. 12:3).
“But ye, brethren,
be not weary in well doing”
(2 Thess. 3:13).
The word translated as
weary
means
“to be utterly spiritless, to be wearied out, exhausted”
(Thayer 1573).Slide9
The Prescription
– Waiting on GodSlide10
The Prescription – Waiting
“But they that wait upon the Lord…” (Isa. 40:31).Slide11
The Prescription – Waiting
“But they that wait upon the Lord…” (Isa. 40:31).
“Wait”
means
“to look for, to hope for”
The psalmist wrote, “And now, Lord,
what wait I for? my hope is in thee”
Psa. 39:7
God had promised that after 70 years of captivity, that they would return. They needed to look for that fulfillment.
The root of
“wait”
refers to
“that of twisting or winding a strand or cord or rope.”
Slide12
Hebrews 6:18-20
“That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and
stedfast
, and which
entereth
into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of
Melchisedec
” (Heb. 6:18-20).Slide13
Anchor of the SoulSlide14
The Prescription – Waiting
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…” (Isa. 40:31; cf. 41:1).
“Renew”
describes the
“changing of garments or clothes”
. With God’s help, Isaiah’s people were going to put off the garments of a captive and put on the garments of a conqueror.
Notice that we must wait
“upon the Lord”
(Isa 40:31).
We serve a God who
“fainteth not, neither is weary”
(Isa. 40:28).
We serve a God who
“giveth power to the faint”
and
“strength”
to them
“that have no might”
(Isa. 40:29).Slide15
2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 13, 16
“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed…We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak…For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” ” (2 Cor. 4:8-9, 13, 16).Slide16
2 Chronicles 20:12
“O our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we not what to do:
but our eyes are upon thee.”Slide17
Psalm 121:1-2
“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.”Slide18
2 Kings 6:13-17
“Alas, my master! How shall we do?...Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”Slide19
2 Corinthians 1:9
“But we had this sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the death”Slide20
The Power
– Wings as EaglesSlide21
The Power – Wings
“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”
(Isa. 40:31).Slide22
Homer Hailey
“In faraway Babylon there will come the news of Cyrus’ decree that the Jews may return home. At this news those who have waited upon Jehovah shall soar to heights of joy as they anticipate returning to their homeland. A rush of preparation for the journey will follow; but before they arrive home, there will be the long trek from Babylon to Jerusalem. And so shall it ever be. The joyous enthusiasm and hope we experience with conversion, soaring on high as with wings of an eagle, are followed by eager preparation, learning and building a foundation of faith, and running without growing weary; but before the heavenly home is reached, there is yet the long journey of trials and
testings
– a walk on which the sojourner of faith shall not faint. In the wearisome and monotonous everyday walk of life faith at times may become dull and hope dim; in such hours look up and grasp anew the vision of God and heaven.”Slide23
The Power – Wings
When we trust in God,
we can fly higher, run longer, and walk further
than we ever could without him.
The apostle Paul knew of the power that God gives to those who trust in Him and often wrote of it. The book of Ephesians especially mentions it:
“And what is
the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power”
(Eph. 1:19).
“That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory,
to be strengthened with might
by his Spirit in the inner man” (Eph. 3:16).Slide24
The Power – Wings
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to
the power that worketh in us”
(Eph. 3:20).
“Finally, my brethren,
be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might”
(Eph. 6:10; cf. Phil. 4:13; Rom. 8:31).Slide25
Why Walk When You Can Fly?
Mary Chapin Carpenter
In this world there's a whole lot of trouble
In this world there's a whole lot of pain
In this world there's a whole lot of trouble
But a whole lot of ground to gain
Why take when you could be giving, why watch as the world goes by
It's a hard enough life to be living, why walk when you can fly
In this world there's a whole lot of sorrow
In this world there's a whole lot of shame
In this world there's a whole lot of sorrow
And a whole lotta ground to gain
When you spend your whole life wishing, wanting and wondering why
It's a long enough life to be living, why walk when you can flySlide26
Why Walk When You Can Fly?
In this world there's a whole lot of cold
In this world there's a whole lot of blame
In this world you've a soul for a compass
And a heart for a pair of wings
There's a star on the far horizon, rising bright in an azure sky
For the rest of the time that you're given, why walk when you can flySlide27
Conclusion
Perhaps, tonight you are weary and at the point of fainting.
I want you to know that your strength can be renewed if you will put your trust in the Lord by doing what He commands you to do.