In history and in lore there have been giant eagles. But now the eagle has become more of a symbolic giant representative of great nations and powerful deeds. Both the Bible and Native North Americans use the eagle for analogy or in myths and legends to depict warrior-like strength and courage. The Bible says in Isaiah 40:31, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not be faint.”
In Navaho myth the story relates that eagles originated from a warrior called Nayenezgani. After slaying a winged creature, Nayenezgani saw the dead raptor’s offspring in their nest. He did not want to see these young birds become evil, so he magically made the youngest into an owl and the oldest into an eagle. More myths reveal that a “super eagle” created thunder and lightning by beating its wings and that eagles could deliver people from famine.
In the biblical analogy, God’s children are compared to the eagle’s graceful and ease of flight when they soar on wind thermals.The wings of the eagle are analogous to our faith and belief in God and wind thermals represent the Holy Spirit.“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord. (Zechariah 4:6) This verse is pointing out that it is God’s power flowing through us, not our own power. God’s power is pure and absolute while our power is weak and limited.
Just as the eagle can fly effortlessly when it catches wind thermals, we too must allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s will for each of us. By following our own path we must work harder and there’s a good chance we will not find our true calling. Even more daunting in this analogy is that without taking a big leap off the edge of the cliff to
catch those wind thermals, the eagle will never leave its perch and will die of starvation.
Similarly, when we do not use our wings to fly with the Holy Spirit, we will remain stuck in our own shortcomings and perish before our very eyes if we do not heed God’s specific vision.
The analogy continues by showing us that the eagle has learned to fish, it mates and is faithful for life, but is usually seen flying alone. The eagle lives on higher ground and is bold, powerful and courageous. Lastly, the eagle is patient, majestic, nests in the wilderness and has a unique presence even from a distance.
As humans, we all would like to emulate these magnificent qualities of the eagle. The Bible shows us the way. God calls us to be fishers of men, in other words to bear witness to God’s grace and almighty power. Both David, Peter and Moses were alone when they did their greatest work. David slew Goliath, Peter stepped out of the boat alone to walk on water, and Moses was alone when God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. By adopting Jesus’ higher position we can stay above the corruption and vices of the world and not be dragged down. Just like the eagle has no fear of other animals we can walk without fear and be a bold, powerful and courageous soldier raised up by God to take on evil.
Majesty is ours when we accept salvation through Jesus’ sacrifice and God expects us to honor our vows and commitments by accepting the guidance of the Holy Spirit to set aside our misgivings and heal our hurts. The eagle will wait for an hour or two for a rabbit to come back out and in the same way we all need the patience of the eagle to deal with life’s frustrations and relentless pace.
Just as eagles build nests away in the wilderness, often God will prepare us for life’s most challenging moments by drawing us away to renew our spiritual strength. The eagle stands apart from many creatures with it’s striking and contrasting features. The bent beak and powerful talons as well as the white hooded head and wing tips against the dark brown body are immediately noticeable.
Just like the giant eagle, when we accept our faith in Jesus, others can see His light manifest itself through the glow radiating from our faces. And we too become giants.