Be Like An Eagle

When I heard this information, I immediately harvested it in my cranium with the hopes of using it one day in a sermon illustration.  I researched it on several websites and found it to be true.  Sometimes when an eagle is in search of food, he may fly into the territory of a crow.  The crow will land on the eagle’s back and begin pecking away at the eagle trying to deter him from hunting in their territory.  According to the information, the eagle does not waste his energy fighting against the crow.  He simply does what God created him to do.  He flies to an astronomical altitude which no other bird can do. The eagle flies so high that the lack of oxygen makes it hard for the crow to breathe, so he falls off the eagle’s back.  Often when the difficulties of life weigh heavily on our backs and the troubles of life peck at us constantly, we tend to get bogged and burdened with them.  We should take a page from the eagle.  Instead of fighting and struggling, we should go higher.  We go higher in several ways.  The first step is to look at who our God is.  In Genesis 18:14 God asked Sarah the million-dollar question that we too must answer.  Is anything too difficult for God?  Often the reason that the trials and difficulties of life get the best of us is because we have little faith in our great God.  Abraham and Sarah’s situation for not being able to bear children was far beyond human comprehension or abilities.  That is why she laughed yet the barrenness of her womb constantly pecked at her.  God desired that she and Abraham fly higher by simply trusting Him.  Our circumstances or situations are not too difficult for our God.  He stated that He can do exceedingly more abundantly than all we can ask or think.  Flying higher means trusting in who He is and His great power to overrule or overcome the circumstances we face. 

The second way we fly higher is by walking in obedience to God’s word and trusting in what He said no matter the nature or difficulty of our circumstances.  Too often we get involved in fighting against the pecking and things on our back.  When we do that we fail to use our most valuable weapon, which is flying higher by trusting Him and obeying His word.   God said this about our trusting Him in Isa 55:8-9.  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  Sometimes during our deepest hurt, pain, or circumstance, it may not seem as if God cares, or if He will come through.  The reason we feel that way is because we stay at an altitude of unbelief and disobedience that is susceptible to the crows of life.  God teaches us this in Isaiah 40:31. “…but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles;”  The way we wait on the Lord is through faith in who our God is and obedience to His word.  We then mount up, and go higher with wings like the eagle.  In going high, our trials, tribulations, and difficulties of life fall off because the height of our obedience and trust does not provide sufficient oxygen for them to continue.  We must take a page out of the eagle’s book.  When people or circumstances get on your back, be like an eagle.  Just go higher!

Rev. Lawrence Robinson