Eagles or Horses?

Writers love using familiar events or illustrations from nature, science and other human experiences to illustrate spiritual truths. The Lord is my Shepherd is a familiar one. Some verses liken the care of God to a mother hen spreading her wings over her chicks. Today’s devotional uses horses and eagles.

I have both positive and negative memories for both. My horses were my best friends, but one of them took a notion to run under a tree. My head hit a hefty branch and I lost my memory for a time. Another stepped in a badger hole and both of us went head over heels.
As for eagles, my best memory is seeing one in Alaska being harassed by a crow. Finally the eagle convulsed as if hurt, but it wasn’t. It had tightened its talons and the crow dropped from the sky.

Today’s devotionals cites two passages. One is about eagles…

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28–31)

This powerful bird illustrates the strength God gives to those who wait for the Lord rather than moving forward without His guidance or strength. Like an eagle, we rise above our fatigue and the feeling of being weak and unable.

The other passage is about horses…

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling, and you said, “No! We will flee upon horses”; therefore you shall flee away; and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”; therefore your pursuers shall be swift. A thousand shall flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain, like a signal on a hill. (Isaiah 30:15–17)

Instead of waiting, if I pick something else that I think will accomplish the task at hand, I will find that I cannot escape the problem. These word pictures not only spell out the folly of taking matters into my own hands, but that God can use me as an example for others to show them what not to do — like a flag or a signal on a hill.

Another passage comes to mind...

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord! And yet he is wise and brings disaster; he does not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the helpers of those who work iniquity. The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish together. (Isaiah 31:1–3)

Egypt points to bondage and the power of sin to enslave. If I trust the things of my old life that appear to be powerful and fail to consult the Lord, I’m relying on flesh rather than Spirit. Another prophet warns: “Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.” (Jeremiah 17:5)

The NT states this clearly:

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:5–8)

PRAY: Thankfully, the next verse says, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Romans 8:9–10) Jesus, I rejoice in the new life and in Your gift of being able to soar like an eagle and see the trials of life fall beneath me and into Your hands. Thank You so much.

Even the strong must pray . . .

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. (Isaiah 12:2)

Some have the idea that only weak people pray. Others might say that our power is nothing compared to the power of God, so comparatively, we are all weak.

In the last few months, deeper Bible study, greater spiritual battles, and the grace of God have revealed to me that only by the power of God do I take another breath. Weakness? Only pride makes me think I have any strength apart from Him.

Over the years, I’ve studied the story of Mary and Martha with various groups of women. Without exception, those who are servers and proud of it do not ‘get it.’ They don’t see that Jesus rebuked Martha for serving in her own strength and becoming frustrated because of it. She did not choose to draw strength from Jesus . . .

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38–42)

Mary sat at his feet. This wasn’t about who was the better servant, but about knowing the one thing that is needed to serve God: His power and not our own.

Relying on Jesus for everything, even for the things that could be done (or so I think) without Him, requires prayer. This cannot be token prayer, but a total dependence that even Jesus Himself demonstrated throughout His life. In the beginning of His ministry “when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying” to the end “Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke 3:21–22 and 23:46) Jesus prayed to His Father about all things. Obviously this is not about weakness but about reliance.

Such reliance is vital. God even said, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.” (Jeremiah 17:5)

The psalmist tells us the same thing; “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (Psalm 105:4) and also says why we should do it, “The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.” (Psalm 28:8)

I cannot save myself so why trust myself at all? Yet reliance on God is not an automatic attitude. My sinful heart continually wants to go its own way. It is an idol-making factory that exalts other things above God, even my own self. I’ve had to learn that . . .

Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. (1 Chronicles 29:12)

Prayer is how to express my need for the strength of the Lord. His Word reminds me that He alone is my Savior, lest I think I can “do this myself” and lest I put my own abilities in place of His. I can choose to be like Martha who headed to the kitchen without kneeling at His feet, or I can be like Mary who “choose the best part” by first spending time with Jesus and making Him the center of her trust. Whether she felt weak or not, she had learned what I must also learn.

The bottom line of everything I do is to: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” (Ephesians 6:10) Amen!