Soaring High
Today’s scripture selection: Isaiah 40-44
Key verses: Isaiah 40:28-31
It was just one of those unexpected blessings that you can’t anticipate, but sticks with you for a long time.
Some of the members of my congregation were standing outside of church was day after service – when one of the guys looked up and said, “Look! A bald eagle!”
And there it was – high above us – slowly circling – this magnificent bird. Now, out in the country, we’ve all gotten pretty used to seeing buzzards circle above, looking for a little “road kill” so some of us were a little skeptical at first. But there it was – large as life – an eagle.
At times like that, the words of the prophet Isaiah take on new meaning:
“…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.”
In life – there are the days we are doing pretty well; there are the ones when we are doing O.K. but not great; and there are the days when we can barely put one foot in one of the other.
But thankfully, according to the Bible, there are the days when – empowered by our hope and faith in God – we won’t just walk – we’ll run. We will walk long, difficult distances without even getting winded. And more than that – we won’t just fly – we will SOAR. Can we do it on our own? Not likely. But hope in God and soon, we will be up there, flying with the best of them.
So on those days when you are just barely getting by – take a moment to pray for God’s strength. By God’s grace, you’ll be soaring in no time.
Prayer: Thank you Lord, for the ability to fly. AMEN.
By Paul Simrell
The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. Elpis is the Greek word meaning “expectant hope.” He also serves on the associate clinical staff of the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care, Richmond, Virginia, both as a pastoral counselor and a ministerial assessment specialist, specializing in executive, clergy and relationship coaching. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, and a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
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