On
Eagle's Wings
Patience
in Waiting
Background:
Isaiah
lived during the reign of 4 of Judah's kings:
Isa.
1:1 "The
vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz,
which he saw concerning Judah
and
Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham,
Ahaz, and
Hezekiah, kings of Judah."
Uzziah
(787 - 735 BC) Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah (726 - 695 BC)
Isa.
6:1 "In
the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the
Lord sitting on a throne,
high and lifted up,
and the train of His robe filled the
temple."
Isaiah's
prophetic work begins about 735 BC
734
BC Northern Israel carried away by Assyria
721
BC Samaria fell & the rest of Israel is carried away by Assyria.
713
BC Assyria entered Judah & destroyed 46 cities & 200,000
captives to the north of Jerusalem by king Sennacherib.
701
BC Assyria stopped by an angel at the walls of
Jerusalem 185,000
Assyrians slain. (2 Kgs. 18-19) & (2 Chron. 32)
Isaiah
warned Judah & Jerusalem of their eventual fall:
Isa.
1 - 39 Foretells
events leading up to Babylonian
captivity (606 BC)
Isa.
40 - 66 Gives
words of comfort, salvation, and of future glory & the Messiah.
Isa.
40:1-2 Spoken of a people who have suffered punishment = to their
sin.
2
Cor. 1:3-5 "Blessed
be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of
mercies and God of all comfort, (4)
who comforts us in
all our tribulation,
that we may be able to comfort those
who are in any trouble, with the
comfort which we
ourselves are
comforted by God. (5) For as the
sufferings
of Christ abound in us, so
our consolation also abounds
through
Christ."
Isa.
40:3-8 Foretells John the baptist's coming to
prepare the people for
Christ.
Isa.
40:12-26 God's ability to supply our needs.
Isa.
40:27 The accusation that God doesn't
notice (or
care)
for our needs
Psm.
73 Never give up!!! God is near.
Isa.
40:28 He neither faints nor is weary - His
understanding is
limitless.
Psm.
119:89-93 "Forever Your precepts are
settled in heaven."
Isa.
40:29-30 He gives power to the weak - To
those who wait
on Him.
God's
delay in answered prayer is often intended to only enhance the coming
blessings.
God's
delay is a test
of our faith & trust - He often comes in the 11th. hour
Examples: At
the Red Sea:
Ex.
14:13 "And
Moses said to the people, ÔDo not
be afraid. Stand
still,
and see the
salvation of the Lord, which He will
accomplish for you today. For the
Egyptians whom you see
today, you shall
see again no more forever.' "
At
Marah, 3 days later
Ex.
15:23-25 - Bitter water made sweet.
At
the wilderness of sin, 2.5 months out of Egypt
Ex.
16:1-12 - Gave manna in the morning & quail
in the evening.
At
Horeb in the wilderness
Ex.
17:1-7 - Gave water from the rock.
At
Jerusalem, as Assyrian king Sennacherib taunts them at the wall.
2
Kgs. 19:10-19, 35-ff - Hezekiah prays to God -
He sends an angel to
defeat Assyrian
army
185,000 killed.
Isa.
40:31 Those who wait on the Lord shall
mount up on eagle's wings.
Note:
Mother eagles train their babies to fly by pushing them out of the
nest and catching them on their back. They will carry the
baby on their back then let the baby fall so it will learn
to fly, and rescue it on her back until they learn to fly on
their own.
NO
TIME IS A GOOD TIME TO GIVE UP
Remember,
our reward is just over the horizon. And as Paul said,
Rom.
13:11 "And
to this, knowing the time, that now
it is high time to awake out of
sleep;
for
now our salvation is nearer than
when we first believed."
God
is faithful - Ready & able to swoop down and catch you up until
you are
able to mount up on eagle's wings.
1
Cor. 10:11-13 "Now
all theses things happened to
them as examples, and they
were
written for our admonition, on
whom the ends of the
ages have
come. (12) Therefore let him who
thinks he
stands take heed lest he
fall. (13) No
temptation has
overtaken you except such as is
common to
man; but God is
faithful, who will not allow you to
be tempted
beyond what you are
able, but with the temptation will
also make the way of escape, that
you may be able to bear
it."
