A few months ago I was talking with a good friend who was in the middle of aftermath from a horrible divorce. She had just also just recently returned from a vacation where she had flown in from Europe. She described looking out the airplane window at the land below and how powerful she felt for those hours she spent up above everything, looking down at microscopic houses, massive lakes that looked like little rain puddles, mighty rivers that looked like mere cracks in the earth, and tiny patches of earth that represented acres and acres of land. She described the plane then descending and how, as the objects outside of her window grew larger and larger, she felt the weight and "reality" of her situation returning. She wished that she could just stay on the plane forever, floating above the world and not having to return to "her life here".
In Isaiah 40:30-31, God tells us that "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 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."
If we could grab hold of this Spiritual promise and "soar on wings like eagles", then perhaps we could rise, even if just for a little moment, above our own little world and however briefly see what it all might look like from God's eyes as He looks down on us from above, keeping watch over everything (Psalm 33:13-14).
So, how can we "soar on wings like eagles", rising so high up above our circumstances so that our problems will seem so small, so unworthy of our concern, fear and anxiety? The verse tells us that we can accomplish this by being "those who hope in the Lord."
So, how do we hope in the Lord, when hope is the furthest word away from our current vocabulary? For starters, Psalm 130:5 says "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope." (For one thing, you need to BE IN the Word, reading what He says so that you know the promises you have to hope for!)
Psalm 33:18 says "...The eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love." Psalm 146:5-6 says "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—the LORD, who remains faithful forever." We hope in the Lord because we know the promises that are ours in His Word, we know that His love for us never fails and never changes, and we know that He remains faithful forever. He is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and He is MY God and He is YOUR God. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth, of every living creature and everything I see, He IS GOD, the Alpha and the Omega. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Whether we "feel" hope or not, His hope is there, never changing. And if we will speak His Word, speak His promises, and receive them as our own through Christ whether we "feel" them or not, then eventually we will grab hold of hope because no matter what we "feel", we will know in our hearts and confess with our mouths that His Word is Truth and will accomplish everything He sent it forth to accomplish (Isaiah 55:11).
Colossians 3:1-3 tells us "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."
When our children are young and they come to us crying because another child has called them a name or said something untrue to them, do we fall apart sobbing along with our child and agree with them that there is no hope and that they are doomed forever because of the unfortunate choices of the other child? No, we comfort them, we pray with them, and we assure them that life is bigger than being called "doodoo head" on the playground. We are older, wiser, and experienced enough to look down on our child's circumstances and see how small they really are. We have a "birds-eye view" of their tiny little realm of importance. How much moreso does the Lord long to comfort us and show us HIS view of our circumstances, to reassure us that He is in control, that life appears to us much bigger than it truly is in His master plan, and that ALL things will work together for good? (Romans 8:28) If we can take our eyes off of what we see before us for only a moment and set our hearts and minds above, as His Word tells us to, we will begin to understand our hope in Him and His faithfulness.
From Psalm 121: "I lift UP my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth"
Lord, take my thoughts captive to you in Jesus's name and help me to see my circumstances as you see them. Help me Lord to be raised up on eagle's wings, high above all of this mess and confusion so that I can look down and know in my heart that you are bigger and stronger than all of this mess. Lord, I admit that I don't feel so confident right now and my problems seem so huge and overwhelming and, according to this world, they ARE "huge" and "overwhelming". Help me, Lord to remember, though, that YOU are not of this world and because of your Son, I am not of this world either. Teach me Lord about hope and faith and victory. I will no longer look at what is in front of me but instead I will lift up my eyes to look to you. I will set my heart above and I will set my mind above on YOU and not on this world. Help me accomplish this Lord for I know that through Christ in me ALL things are possible. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
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