SEPTEMBER THEME — “SEEING THE CROSS FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE”

BEATS FROM YOUR PASTOR’S HEART

THEY SHALL MOUNT UP WITH WINGS AS EAGLES

Isaiah 40:31 — “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles…”

Waiting on God is not merely about surviving until the answer comes. God intends to do something in us while we wait. Isaiah does not say that those who wait upon the LORD will simply endure; he says they will “renew their strength” and “mount up with wings as eagles.” There are times when God changes the circumstance, but there are other times when, before He changes the circumstance, He changes our altitude. The problem may still be beneath us. The storm may still be raging. The prayer may still be unanswered. But God begins lifting our hearts until we see what is happening from a different perspective. The eagle does not eliminate the wind; he learns to rise upon it. Sometimes God does not immediately remove what is fighting against us. Instead, He teaches us through His strength to rise above what once threatened to overwhelm us. Perhaps you have been praying, “Lord, stop the wind.” God may answer, “I am going to teach you how to soar.”

GOD CAN USE WHAT IS AGAINST YOU TO LIFT YOU HIGHER

The eagle needs moving air in order to soar. What appears to oppose him can actually become the means by which he rises. That is a powerful picture of what God can do with adversity. The pressure you wish would disappear may become the very thing God uses to deepen your prayer life. The delay you cannot understand may teach you dependence. The burden that brought you to your knees may bring you into a closeness with God you would never have experienced otherwise. Romans 8:28 reminds us, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God…” It does not say everything that happens is good. Some things hurt deeply. Some seasons are difficult. Some prayers seem to remain unanswered far longer than we ever imagined. But the verse assures us that God is able to take even the difficult things and work them into His purposes. Never assume that because something is painful, God cannot use it. Maybe you are living in that place right now. You have prayed about the same situation repeatedly, and nothing seems to be changing. You have believed, waited, cried, and tried to remain faithful, but you are becoming tired. Do not mistake your weariness for God’s absence. The Lord sees you in the waiting. He knows the prayer you have prayed more times than you can count. He knows the burden you carry even when no one else knows about it. The wind may be fierce, but God has not lost control of the storm.

GOD MAY CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE BEFORE HE CHANGES YOUR PROBLEM

When you are standing on the ground, the storm can fill your entire field of vision. But when an eagle rises, the storm begins to look different. The circumstances have not necessarily changed; the eagle has changed position. One of the great works God accomplishes through prayer is changing our spiritual perspective. At first we may pray, “Lord, get me out of this.” There is nothing wrong with asking God for deliverance. But as we continue waiting, worshiping, feeding upon His promises, and remembering His character, something begins to happen inside us. Our prayer gradually becomes, “Lord, show me what You are doing in this.” And eventually faith may bring us to the place where we can say, “Lord, whether You change this today or not, help me glorify You while I am here.” That is spiritual altitude. Faith does not pretend the storm does not exist. Faith simply refuses to believe that the storm is greater than the God Who rules over it. The problem may still be present, but it no longer has to dominate your heart. The answer may not have come, but your peace does not have to wait until circumstances become peaceful.

As your pastor, I want to remind you of something especially important when the waiting becomes long: silence does not mean God is absent, and delay does not mean God has forgotten you. You cannot always see what God is doing, but you can always trust Who God is. His character has not changed. His promises have not changed. His love for you has not changed. And His timetable is never controlled by your circumstances.

SOARING BEGINS WITH SURRENDER

An eagle does not soar by frantically beating its wings every moment. There comes a point when it spreads its wings and allows the currents beneath it to carry it. There is a beautiful spiritual truth in that picture because many of us exhaust ourselves trying to accomplish what only God can do. We pray and then worry. We surrender and then take it back. We say, “Lord, it is Yours,” and a few minutes later we are mentally trying to solve it again. We are wearing ourselves out because we are trying to carry something God never intended us to carry alone. Isaiah says, “They that wait upon the LORD…” Waiting eventually brings us to the place where we recognize, “I cannot—but God can.” I cannot control every outcome. I cannot change another person’s heart. I cannot force a door open. I cannot manipulate circumstances. I cannot manufacture a miracle. But I can trust God. Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee…” Surrender is not giving up. Surrender is giving it over. It is saying, “Lord, I have prayed. I have obeyed what You have shown me to do. Now I place this situation into Your hands, and I will trust You with what I cannot control.” Perhaps that is exactly where God is bringing you today. He is not asking you to manufacture strength you do not possess. Isaiah promises that He will renew your strength. God is not saying, “Try harder.” He is saying, “Wait upon Me.”

ABOVE THE STORM

When a storm approaches, many birds seek shelter, but an eagle can take advantage of rising air currents to climb higher. The eagle does not pretend that the storm is not there. The rain is real. The wind is real. The turbulence is real. But the storm does not have to determine the eagle’s altitude. There will be seasons when you cannot change what is happening around you, but you do not have to allow what is happening around you to control what is happening inside you. Your peace does not have to come from calm circumstances. Your peace can come from a sovereign God. You may still be waiting for the answer, but you can worship while you wait. You may still have tears in your eyes, but you can trust God while you cry. You may still awaken tomorrow to exactly the same situation, but you can awaken with renewed strength because your strength does not come from the situation changing. It comes from the Lord. And perhaps today you need to stop asking only, “God, when are You going to change this?” and begin praying, “God, what are You changing in me while I wait?” Do not give up in the middle of what God is still shaping. The same God Who carried you yesterday is present with you today. He sees the burden you have not told anyone about. He knows the disappointment you try to hide. He understands the exhaustion of waiting. You do not have to pretend to be strong before Him. Bring Him your weakness, because weakness placed into the hands of God can become the very place where His strength is revealed.

Perhaps you have been asking God to remove the wind when God intends to teach you how to rise upon it. Perhaps you have been praying only for the circumstance to change while God is accomplishing something deeper—renewing your strength, increasing your faith, changing your perspective, deepening your surrender, and drawing you closer to Himself. The promise of Isaiah 40:31 is not that those who wait upon God will never experience storms. The promise is that those who wait upon the LORD will receive strength that does not originate in themselves. “They shall mount up with wings as eagles.” There comes a moment in the waiting when faith begins to say, “The storm may still be here, but it no longer owns me. The answer may not have come, but God is still faithful. I may not understand His timing, but I trust His heart. I may not know what God is doing, but I know Who God is.”And somewhere in that process, you discover that you are no longer merely enduring the waiting.

God is teaching you to soar.

WARFARE PRAYER

Father, in the name of Jesus, I surrender to You every burden I have been trying to carry in my own strength. Forgive me for allowing fear, impatience, worry, and discouragement to pull my eyes away from You. I declare that my circumstances are not greater than my God. My unanswered prayer is not beyond Your power, and Your delay is not evidence that You have abandoned me. When the enemy whispers that nothing is happening, remind me that You are working where I cannot see. When the enemy tells me to give up, strengthen me to wait. When my mind becomes consumed with the storm, lift my eyes above it. Lord, renew my strength. Teach me to trust Your providence even when I do not understand Your process. I surrender the outcome, the timing, and the circumstances into Your hands. I refuse to allow fear to rule my heart. I choose faith. I refuse to allow circumstances to determine my worship. I will praise You while I wait. Teach me to mount up with wings as eagles until I begin seeing my situation from Your perspective. My God is faithful. My God is working. My God is enough. And I will wait upon the LORD. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE

Identify the one situation that is consuming most of your thoughts today. Instead of spending all of your prayer time asking God to remove it, spend several quiet minutes praying, “Lord, I surrender this to You. Lift me above it. Show me how You see it. Show me what You want to accomplish in me while I wait.” Then slowly read Isaiah 40:28–31 and finish by declaring aloud: “I do not have to carry this in my own strength. I will wait upon the LORD, trust His heart, and let Him teach me how to soar.”

SATURDAY’S PRAYER NEEDS

Rose Fuller-Chronic Back Pain

Paula Ferus – Hip Replacement

Britany Smith

Darlene Kelley

Darlene Thaxton

Ginny Ford

Susan Bankston

Kim’s McClain’s Mother & Sister

Rob Davis