“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will fly up on wings like eagles; they will run and not be tired; they will walk and not be weary.”
Isaiah 40: 31 (Common English Bible)
J. H. Jowett offers a fresh hearing of this singular verse of Scripture from the prophecy of Isaiah—that “hope in the Lord” is not merely a passive activity but one of active intimacy with God.[i] As with a relationship with a spouse or a dear friend, intimacy moves deeper than a mere acquaintance. Intimacy reflects continued growth in a relationship, resulting in the capacity to “know the mind, the thoughts, and desires” of the other. It isn’t unusual for intimate friends to complete the sentences of the other. Nor is it unusual for one spouse to sense when the other is troubled though no words have been spoken. These riches of intimacy are not available with an acquaintance. Isaiah wants Israel—and us—to know that God is directly attentive when weakness and powerlessness seek to intrude in our lives. When our energy is depleted, God supplies strength. Yet, that strength flows through the aqueduct of intimacy with God. Such a channel is absent with a meager acquaintance.
The promise in this teaching of Isaiah is that those who “hope in the Lord” will find a marvelous addition to their resources. God is the difference. Those who lack intimacy with God are on their own. They will become depleted. Those who regularly cultivate intimacy with God find energy and power flowing into them. It is either weakness or God. Or, as Isaiah further develops, we will be flightless or be endowed with the wings like eagles and soar into the heights—soar to places above our present difficulty and exhaustion. Taken at face value, to be endowed with wings like eagles is real equipment! Imagine when we have spotted an eagle soaring high above. Collapsed into that singular experience is strength, and majesty, and awe. That is ours when we “Hope in the Lord!” New power, immeasurable capacity, and a buoyancy over what is below. As Walter Brueggemann so strikingly imagines, “The very God taken to be obsolete is the one who governs and gives strength, who makes it possible for life to be taken up again.”[ii]
The question, then, is one of intimacy; how might we pursue such intimacy with God that we might “fly up on wings like eagles” in moments when we are depleted? That answer is no different than building intimacy with a spouse or a friend—we spend time with God, through prayer, and pay attention to God. Early in my relationship with my wife I learned she liked yellow roses more than any other color. I also learned that she doesn’t particularly care for red roses. Whenever I am grocery shopping and pass the floral department, I look for yellow roses. If they are particularly beautiful, I purchase them for my wife. There need not be an occasion such as a birthday or anniversary. I simply purchase them for her because I find every moment with her to be extraordinary. And I want to bring her delight. I know she likes yellow roses because, when I am with her, I pay attention to her. Prayer is paying attention to God. And time with God is both speaking and listening—sharing deeply with God and listening deeply for God.
Here, in this teaching from Isaiah, is the promise of a strong and joyful life. A life that is not defeated when our personal strength, our personal stamina is depleted. The management our own resources is inadequate. Isaiah invites us to a relationship with God that is transformative. An intimacy with God endows us with the power to rise above things rather than being held in bondage to them. A focus on difficult circumstances quickly depletes a woman or a man. But when we direct our focus to God, God renews our strength. Available resources are multiplied. Our life takes flight as wings lift an eagle and we soar above our present difficulty. The difficulty may remain but as we take flight and rise above it, we see the difficulty in proportion to all our life. The difficulty becomes “right sized”. A difficulty from the ground may appear titanic. Viewed from the heights where eagles fly, they appear so much smaller. What a view God offers us! Isaiah declares that those who hope in the Lord shall have this!
Joy,
[i] J. H. Jowett, The Silver Lining: Messages of Hope and Cheer (London and Edinburgh: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1907) 136.
[ii] Walter Brueggemann, Isaiah 40-66: Westminster Bible Companion (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998) 28.
Nurture Faith with Dr. Doug Hood 