“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.”
- Isaiah 40:31
Last week I took the children to the York Bird of Prey Centre, a great little place if you want to handle and get to know lots of amazing birds. While we were there I was privileged to hold a Chilean Blue eagle. As it soared over the flying field with its something-around-2-metre wingspan on full view, I was reminded again of this well-known verse.
August is a month when many of us look forward to a holiday, a time to rest and be refreshed from the hard slog of everyday life. To renew physical and mental strength, perhaps to renew the strength of relationships strained or neglected over a relentlessly busy year. But are we taking time to renew our strength spiritually too?
The eagle has to learn to fly, and we have to train ourselves in ‘hoping in the Lord’ (or 'waiting on', or 'trusting in', in other versions). We’re not going to be soaring on eagle’s wings automatically, but our strength will be renewed as we attend to the means of grace that God has so kindly given us.
So, this holiday season let’s get stuck into God’s word, let’s sing hymns and read good books while we enjoy our holiday rest from our physical labours, and let’s go into the autumn soaring like eagles, ready to serve the Lord with renewed strength at Riverside!
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