Updrafts and waiting for God

My wife and I visited the utterly awe-inspiring Grand Canyon a few weeks ago; and, as well as appreciating the many stunning views,  we had the privilege of witnessing condors, with wonderful grace and stillness, soaring in flight using thermal updrafts. This practice allows them to conserve their energy by them deliberately not using their own capabilities for flight through flapping their wings. Instead, they use the energy of heated air which – as they spread their wings – is an invisible force beneath them that will not only hold them where they are (which would be miracle enough!), but also enables these birds to rise, and rise further still.

The obvious analogy then occurred to me that our loving God is, indeed, quite like a thermal updraft. If we are prepared, like the graceful condor, not to trust in our own capabilities for ‘flight’, but in the invisible force beneath us which supports and lifts us – then we too can soar high and so not get ‘in a flap’ about our lives. But, what is our responsibility then? What do we need to do in response to this possibility?

Again, just like these birds, all we need to do is spread open our arms (our wings) and be still in this posture and wait for the up-draft, trusting that we will catch this wonderful benevolent energy as it holds us, and then enables us to rise all the more. Following this way we won’t get tired, and we will always be strengthened. As the scripture says in Isaiah 40:31:

“But those who wait for the Lord (who expect, look for, and hope in Him), shall change and renew their strength and power: they shall lift their wings and mount up (close to God) as eagles mount up to the sun: they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.” (The Amplified Bible). 

For details of my book, Nine Steps to Well-Being: A Spiritual Guide for Disconnected Christians and Other Questioning Journeyers go to my blog’s home page http://disconnectedchristians.blogspot.co.uk/ or to the publishers website ‘Whispering Tree Original Books’ where the first three chapters can be accessed FREE! http://www.whisperingtreeoriginalbooks.com/?page_id=40