They that wait upon the Lord shall . . .
mount up with wings as eagles (Isaiah 40:31).
All
of a sudden, I find that I can fly. I can take one or two quick paces and just
kind of step up into the air. With my arms outspread, I soar freely up, up. God
has enabled me to fly! I’m up above the tree-tops, free of the restraints of
gravity, unencumbered by earthly weights. I dive into a glide toward the
ground, and just before a harsh landing seems inevitable, I swoop up again and
gain altitude, to the amazement of a few who are watching. I wonder if I am dreaming.
Off
to one side, I see a flooding river. It has overflowed its banks. The waters
are turbulent and frightening, blackish-blue in the sun. But I can fly out over
it if I want to. I turn and glide that way, until there is nothing but water
below me.
No,
this is not right. God has not told me to come this way. Sure I can fly, but if
I have to land unexpectedly, or if I suddenly lose this ability, I’d better be
over solid ground. I’d better not be where God has not told me to go. It’s
potentially dangerous here, and it’s presumptuous of me to be here if it is not
in accordance with God’s express command. “Thou shalt not put the Lord thy God
to the test,” He has taught me (Luke 4:12, NIV). I veer back on my course until
the ground is beneath me again.
Later
on, I am once again walking on terra firma, accompanying a couple of elderly
church-ladies along a road. I secretly think that they are rather religious,
perhaps not as truly spiritual as they think they are. Surely not as spiritual
as I think I am! I share with them some wonderful things that I have recently
discovered in the scriptures. Then I say to them, “Isn’t it amazing how God has
said to us, ‘They that wait upon the Lord shall mount up on wings like
eagles’!” And before they can respond, I show them that there is a much deeper
meaning to that verse than they have ever guessed: I take two quick steps and
ascend up into the air, gliding away.
No, says the Lord in my heart, I have
not given you gifts and abilities so that you can show off to other people. I
just want to reveal more of Myself to you, and to others. This is not really
about the ability to fly; it’s that I’m trying to teach you something, and this
is the best way for now.
What are You trying to teach me, Lord?
This is not specifically about flying. I
want you to realize that when you wait upon Me, when you meditate on My Word,
when you then step out and live by faith in what I have shown you in My Word,
you will find yourself no longer bound by physical and material limitations.
You will find yourself transcending the boundaries of your temporal existence.
How do you feel when you fly?
Oh . . . free. Exhilarated and excited.
Full of life. Like I could do anything at all.
Can you think of anything else that
makes you feel that way?
Well, yes, I guess that’s how I feel
when something is the Scriptures opens up to me.
Yes. Do you remember what I was just
showing you in My Word, before you went to sleep?
Oh, yes! It was really good! What
exactly was it now?
I
found myself waking up. I lay there, slowly getting my bearings. Yes, I had
been reading an account in Judges, of how the tribe of Dan invaded the city of
Laish (18:27). I opened my Bible and reread the passage:
“They
went in and slaughtered all the people and burned the city to the ground,” says
the Living Bible, at the end of verse 27. The next verse was the one that had lit
something on the inside of me: “There was no one to help the inhabitants, for .
. . they had no local allies, for they had no dealings with anyone.”
Over
the past couple of months, God has been exhorting me: “Nurture your
friendships.” I really have only one close friend. I am a notorious loner and I
so value my time alone. When I have to go to town, the last thing I want to do
is kill an extra hour having a cup of tea with someone. Yet I very much enjoy
the fellowship when I do. And slowly I have begun to try to make and keep these
kinds of commitments.
In
this verse, the Lord was exhorting me again to pursue relationships with the
many women, both Christian and not, that I admire and enjoy: You cannot be an island unto yourself. You
must have dealings with people; you must have local allies, or when the enemy
comes in like an invading army, you will be hopelessly defeated.
I
was exhilarated by this little revelation. I felt like I was flying again.
Thank You, Lord!
You bet. Now remember: Stay in My word.
Expect Me to speak to you. And heed what I say.
It is the spirit that quickeneth [or gives life];
the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit,
and they are life (John 6:63).
______________________________
It was fifteen years ago that I wrote this
piece. Something brought it to mind a few days ago, so I searched it out and
found it to be as relevant to me now as it was then.
The photo above comes from unsplash.com.
Thank you, Mathew Schwartz, for making your images available royalty-free.
