How did the people of the Hebrew Bible survive hundreds of years of enslavement in Egypt and 40 years of wandering in the Arabian Desert? How could they have endured exiles and a holocaust without losing their identity and perishing as a nation? It seems clear to me that throughout their long history from Father Abraham, they have been carried and lifted by a power greater than themselves. In the Hebrew Scriptures we find this inspired explanation: “I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Exodus 19:4).
I’m told that soaring in a glider and piloting a propeller driven aircraft are totally different sensations. When you reach a designated altitude and the cable is released connecting you to the mother plane you are sitting in an eerie silence. There’s no sound of a motor turning a prop pulling you through space. The pilot often feels the need to over control and to make something happen by trying to steer the glider. It takes a while to just sit back and relax and trust the updrafts to carry you as high and as far as they will. Losing altitude might cause some panic even with a seasoned pilot. One needs an instructor in the cockpit to help one trust and wait patiently for the next current to provide the needed lift. Just let go and let God, it will come. We have a sacred promise on which we can rely: “Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31).
What happens when it’s time for the eaglets to fly for themselves? They will probably need some poking and some prodding. The nest is so cozy and comfortable. It’s so nice to have your meals flown in without any effort on your part. That’s when the adult eagles begin to “stir up the nest” (Deuteronomy 32:11) nudging them closer to the edge of the cliff. One last push and they are tumbling out into empty space flapping their wings while falling to the earth. That’s when old baldy and his mate fly underneath them, catching them on their wings, and bearing them aloft. On reaching a safe altitude they do a sharp banking maneuver and off they go again tumbling through space. After three or four of these elevator rides they are beginning to get it. It won’t be long and they will be soaring on their own like tiny specks in the sky.
Is that not nature’s metaphor of what God is doing in our lives?
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