Perspectives

The Wind Beneath Your Wings

  • Peter Friesen, Author
  • Retired Minister

Isaiah 40:30-31 … 30) Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31) but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (NIV)

When you take a boat ride on Lake of the Woods around Kenora Ontario you can watch eagles soar high above the water. Ever so graceful, just riding the wind. They seem to be totally in harmony with nature. Not a care in the world as they sail through the air, always watchful, but always up high above the blare and turmoil of the world down below.

Sometimes I wish I could be like those eagles. There are times when I am just worn out, even my bones feel tired, and I feel exhausted. Ever get that way? When I get like that, I kind of feel … you know … a bit irritated with life. It is during those times that I can get really upset with other folks around me and perhaps a bit short-sighted too. Even though I am a Christian, I need to be as watchful as those eagles on days that I am not running the Christian race very well.

For those of you who are my age (80) remember when you were younger? You did not get tired, did you? You seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of energy. However, even Isaiah, the Old Testament prophet, says that young people have struggled with weariness at times. Some of us have forgotten that. Yes! We did get tired when were younger, but we bounced back so quickly, we thought we could go on forever. Now that we are older, we should behave in a more grown-up way. In fact, we must “act our age” because our bodies cannot handle more! We cannot do the things we did when we were younger because everything will hurt, and those things that will not hurt, do not work anymore.

How do we tap into that inexhaustible supply of God’s storehouse of energy? Verse 31 tells us that God is here to help us make our day, help us get through those difficult times; past all the distractions and perplexities of this life. It seems so simple, yet so tough to do. All we need to do is put our trust and hope in Jesus Christ. Invite Him into our heart, and He will supply that energy level we need for this life.

There is a person in the Bible by the name of Esau who sold his birthright when he was physically and mentally exhausted. We may not sell our birthright, but we do other things that cause us grief later in life … things that feed that weariness in both body and soul. When our energy is drained, and we are totally beat, we do things that we would not normally do. But when we put our hope and trust in God, we gain strength from God’s strength. He allows us to exchange our strength for His. We never need to fear that our struggle is too big for Him.

So, if this is the case would it not make sense to make our relationship with God the highest possible priority of the day? We are told that God can restore our weary soul with His strength if we are but willing to wait for Him to act. There are so many things that demand our attention, our time. We must not let the noise and clatter; the pull and tug of this world rob us of our daily time with the Lord. We are to trust in Him, when we do, we will draw strength from Him. It is in these daily times of drawing on the eternal storehouse of God’s resources, that we are given the strength to live for Him… To God Be the Glory!

Would you pray with me … Heavenly Father you know my heart? I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I now invite Jesus Christ to come into my heart to forgive all my sins. I want my life to change. Many times, my thoughts and attitude are not that great, please help me to have a positive attitude and good thoughts. I pray that Your Holy Spirit will help me to be the kind of Christian that will bring honour to Your Name. I pray this in Christ Jesus’ Name. Amen