On Eagles' Wings

They shall rise up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not grow faint.

This passage is often read at funerals, and rightly so. The imagery is comforting, and hopeful. We see in our mind’s eye an angel: a being released from all earthly unpleasantness, soaring — with wings like an eagle, above all troubles and tribulations. No longer weighed down by stress or suffering, this newly-reborn spirit is free, joyful; as light and lovely as a feather.

A beautiful, inspiring concept, to be sure. We pray that the loved ones who have gone before us are enjoying such celestial bliss — and that someday we shall, too.

In the Meantime

But that is a joy deferred. For now we must slog along here below; fighting the traffic, paying the bills, dealing with laundry and lost keys and leaky faucets, rising damp, car repairs and runny noses. There’s always something. As the saying goes: you have to die in order to get to heaven.

But I wonder.

The prophet Isaiah wasn’t the kind of guy to talk about “the sweet by-and-by”; he wasn’t interested in the afterlife. The Word of the Lord as revealed to him was all about life here and now — or in the very near future. His prophecies were directed to the Israelites, reminding them of their call to be a holy people — right where they were, right at that moment; not in some distant place or time.

Perhaps there’s more to this Scripture than we think.

Culture Shock

At this stage Isaiah is speaking to a small community. His hearers are exiles who have been uprooted from all they have known; displaced from hearth and home and familiar surroundings, they are shocked, confused, and utterly powerless. The respect and honor they had long taken for granted has vanished utterly.

Now they are strangers in a strange land: treated with scorn and suspicion as a bunch of superstitious weirdos clinging to the vestiges of an outdated religion. That they persisted in their belief in a God who had “lost,” was incomprehensible to the sophisticated citizens of Babylonia. The battle was over, the empire had triumphed; they should surrender and be done with it: that would be the smart thing to do.

For many members of the faith community this was a huge temptation. These were folks who had been leaders: movers and shakers and opinion makers, and now they were outsiders of no importance at all. They longed to be part of the “in crowd” again.

Choices

It is hard to be an outsider. We all want to be listened to, to be respected, to have a say in what happens to us and to our world. And it is tempting to do whatever it takes to get that power.

Isaiah’s hearers could have set aside their beliefs and worshipped as the culture dictated — and there were those who did. Some, in an effort to protect their faith, isolated themselves, avoiding contact with “others” as much as possible, trying to ignore what was going on around them. And there were those who plotted and planned and awaited the day when they would be in charge: the tables would be turned and they would have their revenge.

The choices seemed clear: fight ’em, join ’em, or avoid ‘em.

Another Option

But there was another option. There always is. It is the commitment to look at life faithfully: to look at every situation and every event with conviction that God is with us always. And that can often take some doing.

It isn’t easy to find a blessing amid what appears to be a disaster; it isn’t easy to believe that we are still in God’s care when everything seems to have gone wrong. It isn’t easy: it is the way of faith that leads to understanding.

A faith-based worldview is one that seeks God everywhere: in every event, at all times and in all places.

A Life Lesson

The exiles sat by the river of Babylon and wept; everything they valued was gone. Even their confidence in their status as God’s chosen people was shaken to its core. Those who had believed that worldly success was a sign of heavenly favor now found themselves on the side of the poor, the downtrodden, and the despairing.

It was a real shock to the system.

And it was one of the best things that ever happened to them. They were being given the opportunity to learn and grow; it was a chance to truly become God’s people.

In that foreign land they experienced the scandal of injustice first-hand and witnessed the terrible vulnerability of the aged, the sick, and the insane. No longer sheltered by class or station, they walked through streets with the wounded, the weary, and the helpless, assaulted by mocking laughter and hateful comments, hurt and ashamed of behavior they had once overlooked or condoned. Suffering was no longer theoretical, and evil was real — and extremely personal.

These were the people Isaiah was speaking to when he said the Lord will lift them up “on wings like eagles.”

Discoveries

Some shook their heads and walked away. But some believed.

Perhaps in listening to Isaiah the exiles thought back on what they had experienced. Perhaps it occurred to them that as bad as things were, they had seen flickers of hope and outbreaks of joy. Perhaps they noticed that wherever they traveled there had seen signs of the Beloved’s presence. Perhaps they found it as the spirit of compassion dwelling within their own hearts.

Perhaps there, far from home, they discovered a God far bigger and far greater than they had ever imagined; a God not restricted by boundaries, a holiness that cannot be controlled or confined that flows freely throughout the universe. Perhaps they realized that they had been sent into exile for a purpose: in order to see precisely what God wanted them to see.

Perhaps their experiences inspired them to a deeper understanding of their faith. Perhaps they came to understood what God truly requires of us: to live justly, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8).

About Those Wings

Those who have been long at the task can become cynical and fall by the wayside, and even the young and enthusiastic can grow tired and lose hope. Faith sustains us, strengthens us and restores our spirits.

When we are faithful, we trust in God’s abundant love and unfailing mercy. We believe that the Holy One is with us always, and look expectantly for blessings and signs of grace at all times and in all places and every situation.

Faith gives us courage. We will not be afraid, despite trails and tribulations; for even the darkest night is bright as day to the Beloved. With God’s love supporting us, our spirits will soar as if carried aloft on the wings of eagles.

Virtual hugs and real-time blessings,

Deborah +

This Week's Suggested Spiritual Exercise

What past troubles have later revealed themselves to be blessings?