He is like an Eagle that stirs up its Nest

God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, where they were enslaved, and took them to the foot of Mount Sinai. He made a covenant with them there, gave them the Law, and said to them, “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.” (Exodus 19:4) His wish was that they would be consecrated and obey His commands. When they entered the Promised Land of Canaan, they would become a kingdom of priests and a people that belonged to God amongst the nations, and testify for Him. After 40 years, in the plains of Moab, God again used Moses to compose a song where He likened his protection and guidance of the Israelites to the behavior of an eagle. “In a desert land He found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; He guarded him as the apple of His eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions.” (Deuteronomy 32:10-11)

The eagle possesses a noble character and the ability to soar at high altitudes. It has been called the king of birds. Eagles prefer to build their nests on cliffs and precipices where no other animals could reach, and there the female eagle could confidently nurture its eaglets. The bald eagle for instance takes 13 weeks of diligent feeding and care by its parents from the time of hatching for it to mature. The feathers on its body and wings will go through several molts before they attain the proper growth. God has given the eagle unique maternal instincts. When the mother eagle is teaching its eaglet to fly, it will stir up the nest with its body and force the eaglet to fall down the cliff from its aerial perch. Then the inborn ability of the eaglet to flap its wings and fly will be deployed. The first flight of the eaglet may be fraught with danger. It will just flap its wings desperately in the beginning and not know how to properly utilize them to glide on the air currents. When it starts to drop precipitously, the mother eagle will swoop down below it to catch the eaglet on her strong and powerful wings and carry it back to the nest. After much repeated practice, the eaglet will quickly learn how to soar on its own wings and be able to find its own food.

The life of a Christian is a life of continuous growth. For a time after receiving the grace of salvation, a normal Christian will grow in learning about and implementing the Truth, with nurturing in the Way by the Lord’s servants. Sometimes God will alter the circumstances to force us to leave a comfortable and familiar abode so that we will have an opportunity to implement the Truth that we have heard, learn to rely on Him, and know more of His faithfulness and love. In the beginning we may feel that God has unreasonably stirred up the circumstances and made us experience turmoil, such as the sudden change in lifestyle after immigration, loss of a steady job, failure of investments, death of a loved one, friends becoming enemies, and loss of heath etc. When confronted with these sharp turns, we will all feel fear, anxiety, worry and confusion. Sometimes, it seems as though God has heartlessly dumped us into a frightening situation so that we would experience hardship, loss, pain and tears. But our loving Father is in fact continuing to look after us. At the critical moment, He will fly to us like the mother eagle, uphold us with His righteous and loving hand, support us with his faithfulness, and bring us back to a safe place. God does this in order that those belonging to Him will grow and learn to rely on Him and know Him better.

God said to the people belonging to Him: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10) Jesus Christ has promised us: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:18)

By: Daniel To