“Does the eagle soar at your command and build its nest on high? It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night; a rocky crag is its stronghold. From there it looks for food; its eyes detect it from afar.”
JOB 39:27–29
Eagles are impressive birds. These verses capture it well, where it lives and how it hunts. Today we have live webcams in eagles’ nests, and we can pull up a video online anytime we like. It’s easy to forget that, not so long ago, a glimpse into an eagle’s nest would have been a rare thing, accessible only after a daring climb.
We find other familiar verses about eagles in Isaiah: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 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” (40:29–31).
Eagles soar seemingly without effort, gliding far and high with hardly a flap of their wings. That’s because they are riding thermals, rising columns of warm air that carry them. Likewise, it’s not our effort that renews our strength. The Lord gives us strength so that we can keep going long after we expected to drop in our tracks.
Two of David’s psalms include similar themes. In Psalm 103, he describes many reasons to praise God. Verses 2–5 say, “Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” That is quite a list of benefits! Psalm 27 concludes with sound advice: “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD” (v. 14).