Eagle Up!
October 20, 2010
Are you growing weary? Are you exhausted? Are you worn out and tired? It is time for you to Eagle up! Matthew 11:28 tells us that God's design for our life does not include weariness and exhaustion nor should it foster such emotions. Yes, it is unavoidable to get tired. We all have our limits and so many of us are pushing ourselves to our limits over and over - and in many cases, learning the hard way - physically, financially - that we can not continue to do so. Many of us do not realize that we can avoid getting into these weary situations - by just simply waiting on the Lord and relying on Him and His word to renew our strength.
In Isaiah 40:31 we are promised that if we wait on the Lord, His plan, our strength will be given back to us and we will soar like an eagle. In Joyce Meyer's book Never Give Up, she says, and I wholeheartedly agree, that God "chose to liken us to eagles to motivate us to rise to our potential in life and to encourage us to wait on Him and find our strength in Him" (118 Meyer).
Never before in my life have I really dedicated myself to testing God's word on this. After all, I really do not have a whole lot of options other than my dependence on Him and waiting for His plan to take shape in my life. Yet, I believe many people sit around and just pray thinking that God's word is literal here- sit and wait for something to rain down on you from Heaven. In fact, I think this is an area that holds one of the greatest misunderstandings of God's word. Waiting on the Lord actually means to get active in your spiritual life. Stop trying to control your career, your finances, your house, your spouse, your kids, your church - and spend time alone with God seeking and listening to what He lays on your heart to do. More importantly, spend alone time in His word to gain an understanding of what He wants you to focus on - rather than what YOU want to focus on. And sometimes, we just need to sit and enjoy the fullness of what He has designed for us already, being thankful, and praising Him for what He has done for us and given to us.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28 that we must come to Him for rest. Each and every one of us knows someone - maybe it is us - but we all know someone that is just absolutely DONE - past their limit with work stress, past their limit with fitness or dieting, past their limit in parenthood or their budget - just simply at 0 miles per hour without any desire to accelerate.
Without that quiet time in Christ - rest can not be permanently sustained. Aside from the physical and spiritual renewal, committing to this time each day in my life has provided me with more patience and discretion in how I talk to others and make decisions for my life. I am much less emotional - and far more careful with my words - each day that I give that special time to God. Receiving renewal happens on more levels than what we even really comprehend - and it is not until we practice this time with God daily that we can begin to truly get it and allow it to pour out on those that we care about. When was the last time you put down your cell phone, walked away from the computer, and found a nice quiet, serene place, where you can just be still, pray, and take it all in. You will not soar like an eagle unless you commit to doing this daily. Imagine the quality of life you are missing out on by not engaging with God and His word. Sometimes it is as simple at just stopping what you are doing - and saying what is on your mind. What are you struggling with? What has you weary? What do you need to release? Sit down, speak it, and give it God and rest. You would be surprised what a three minute mental breakaway can do for you.
Are you growing weary? Are you exhausted? Are you worn out and tired? It is time for you to Eagle up! Matthew 11:28 tells us that God's design for our life does not include weariness and exhaustion nor should it foster such emotions. Yes, it is unavoidable to get tired. We all have our limits and so many of us are pushing ourselves to our limits over and over - and in many cases, learning the hard way - physically, financially - that we can not continue to do so. Many of us do not realize that we can avoid getting into these weary situations - by just simply waiting on the Lord and relying on Him and His word to renew our strength.
In Isaiah 40:31 we are promised that if we wait on the Lord, His plan, our strength will be given back to us and we will soar like an eagle. In Joyce Meyer's book Never Give Up, she says, and I wholeheartedly agree, that God "chose to liken us to eagles to motivate us to rise to our potential in life and to encourage us to wait on Him and find our strength in Him" (118 Meyer).
Never before in my life have I really dedicated myself to testing God's word on this. After all, I really do not have a whole lot of options other than my dependence on Him and waiting for His plan to take shape in my life. Yet, I believe many people sit around and just pray thinking that God's word is literal here- sit and wait for something to rain down on you from Heaven. In fact, I think this is an area that holds one of the greatest misunderstandings of God's word. Waiting on the Lord actually means to get active in your spiritual life. Stop trying to control your career, your finances, your house, your spouse, your kids, your church - and spend time alone with God seeking and listening to what He lays on your heart to do. More importantly, spend alone time in His word to gain an understanding of what He wants you to focus on - rather than what YOU want to focus on. And sometimes, we just need to sit and enjoy the fullness of what He has designed for us already, being thankful, and praising Him for what He has done for us and given to us.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28 that we must come to Him for rest. Each and every one of us knows someone - maybe it is us - but we all know someone that is just absolutely DONE - past their limit with work stress, past their limit with fitness or dieting, past their limit in parenthood or their budget - just simply at 0 miles per hour without any desire to accelerate.
Without that quiet time in Christ - rest can not be permanently sustained. Aside from the physical and spiritual renewal, committing to this time each day in my life has provided me with more patience and discretion in how I talk to others and make decisions for my life. I am much less emotional - and far more careful with my words - each day that I give that special time to God. Receiving renewal happens on more levels than what we even really comprehend - and it is not until we practice this time with God daily that we can begin to truly get it and allow it to pour out on those that we care about. When was the last time you put down your cell phone, walked away from the computer, and found a nice quiet, serene place, where you can just be still, pray, and take it all in. You will not soar like an eagle unless you commit to doing this daily. Imagine the quality of life you are missing out on by not engaging with God and His word. Sometimes it is as simple at just stopping what you are doing - and saying what is on your mind. What are you struggling with? What has you weary? What do you need to release? Sit down, speak it, and give it God and rest. You would be surprised what a three minute mental breakaway can do for you.
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