In continuing my research on eagles, I want to share another characteristic of the eagle with you today. If you have ever seen an eagle fly, you know they fly without flapping their wings. They don’t flap; they soar.
Eagles are born with large and heavy wings. Part of their survival skill is that they learn to fly without actually flapping their wings. Their wings are spread straight out, and they literally soar with perfect ease on wind currents. They learn to do this in order to save energy. They can die if they expend too much energy flapping their wings during a flight. It reminds me of a scripture in Proverbs 10:22 in the Amplified Bible.
The blessing of the Lord—it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it [neither does toiling increase it].
The same is true with us. If we spend our entire lives toiling and working to make things happen, it causes stress in our life. It causes anxiety. It may cause exhaustion. All these things can be deadly to us if we are not careful.
So, how do eagles accomplish this? They wait for what are called wind thermals to come up on them. A wind thermal is a big gust of wind that will rise up from the atmosphere. It doesn’t always come quickly. Sometimes they wait for days to catch a good, strong, wind thermal where they can launch into it. It makes me think of the scripture that says, “let patience have its perfect work, so in the end, you are complete and lacking nothing.” (James 1:4)
It also reminds me of what the generation before me used to call ‘tarrying for the Lord.’ They spent hours and sometimes days praying, fasting and worshipping, waiting on the presence of the Lord to come into their midst. And they didn’t quit until God showed up.
How do we relate our walk with God to the eagles and the wind thermals?
I believe the wind thermals represent the Holy Spirit who shows up when we spend time seeking God or in the presence of God. We see in the Bible that the Holy Spirit is referred to as a wind in Acts 2:2.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
You see, the eagle isn’t going on his own power, but the power of the wind he has waited for and caught. It is the same with us. Look at Zechariah 4:6.
Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord.
Just like the eagle, must learn how to fly on the wind thermals – we, as born-again, Spirit-filled Christians, have to learn how to fly in the power of the Holy Spirit. In other words, we have to learn how to walk and fly with the anointing and presence of God. The anointing of God is the power of the Holy Spirit flowing and operating through us to accomplish what God wants us to do for Him in this life.
It is God’s power flowing and operating through us, not our own power. Just like the eagle must learn how to ride and navigate on those wind thermals, we have to learn how to walk with the power of the Holy Spirit operating through us so we can fully accomplish what God has called us to do. We can’t do it in our own strength, but through God, all things are possible. Nothing is impossible with those who believe in His Word.
This is exciting to me. There is a way, in Christ, that we can learn to soar in the power of God. That we can accomplish all God wants us to accomplish without toil and labor. We do it by seeking the God, Jesus and Holy Spirit and His way of doing things. We do this by reading God’s Word and doing things His way.
It is my prayer for you today that you begin to soar like an eagle. That you soar effortlessly into new heights in God. That as you allow patience to work in you, you catch the wind of the spirit and soar higher than you ever thought possible. May it be so this very year, in Jesus name.
