On Eagles' Wings

Have you ever felt "down in the dumps?" Have things looked bleak at certain times in your life? Have you ever felt lower than a snake in a wagon rut and wish someone could lift you up?

We have all felt despair and hopelessness at times in our life. We may wonder where our next meal may come from, how we will pay that mountain of bills, look for a cure for our illness or infirmity, or just feel alone and have no one to turn to.

In the recently released Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal, one can find a comforting hymn with a beautiful melody. Hymn  440, "On Eagles' Wings," capsulizes for Christians the providence and protection we receive from God. The refrain states:

And he will raise you up on eagles' wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of his hand.

The predominant themes in this refrain are found in Isaiah's prophecy. In Isaiah 40:31 we read:

...but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;

In Isaiah 49:16 Isaiah writes:

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

Even in the midst of announcing judgment upon the nation of Judah, our God promised his people that He would protect them and be with them. They would have the strength of  God's uplifting spirit, a strength equated with eagles' wings. Our God also assured his people of individual protection, just as someone would protect a frail bird or small pet in the palm of one's hand. This verse immediately follows God's rhetorical question:

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!

Although the phrase "bear you on the breath of dawn" is not found in Scripture, its meaning is found in the latter part of Isaiah 40:31:

they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

The intent of the hymn verse is that God's Word refreshes us. Certainly the pressures of sin, Satan our our flesh tire our soul. On our own we soon despair of the futility of our own righteousness--we either recognize that we can never appease God or we can never be sure we have done enough. Even hoping that we have done enough leaves us wondering, "Did I?" But the righteousness that comes from God refreshes us, just as sleep refreshes us and we awake in the morning renewed in our energy and zeal. At dawn we often feel as if we can run and not grow weary; walk and not grow faint.

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