I recently listened to a teaching series where the way of the eagle was compared to the Christian life. It was a powerful series to say the least. One thing that was said really struck a chord with me, “Chickens flock together but eagles soar alone.” I was reminded of what Jesus said in John 16:32, “Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.” In my heart at this moment is the subject of “aloneness.” Not loneliness - “aloneness.” Chickens flock together but eagles soar alone. We must ask ourselves, do we want to be chickens who flap their wings but go nowhere or do we want to be mighty eagles who spread their wings and soar on the wind currents of the Holy Spirit?
Sad to say, the world is filled with “flapping” Christians and I am not one of them. No sir! I strive every day to be an “eagle” Christian and one main attribute of these kind of believers is that they soar alone. John the Baptist comes to my mind. Yes, he had a following but he soared alone. As I look back on my life I can say that “aloneness” has been a major characteristic of my life. I am not what you would call a “people person.” I would rather spend the day alone hiking in the woods than to have a huge gathering of people over to my house for Sunday dinner. I love people but I don’t need them to feel a sense of value about myself.
A “people person” tends to rely on people more than they rely on God. They need people the same way they need food and water. Oftentimes they go to God as a last resort. They ask their friends to pray for them instead of going into the throne room themselves. Chickens flock together but eagles soar alone. Eagles say, “Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord!” I learned at an early age to live a life of total dependence on God. I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I never had a bunch of people to help me during times of trouble. Nobody gave me a free car or paid for my college education. I never had a “free ride” in life and this is why I am the person I am today. Character was developed as a result of “soaring alone” and faith came as a result of depending on God to meet my every need.
When you soar alone you can be friends with others where your only objective is to be a blessing to them. Because you depend on God and not people there will be no strings attached to your friendship. Gone will be the pressure they may feel thinking that you are expecting something from them. Now you can “love your neighbor as you love yourself.” What you make happen for others, God (not people) will make happen for you. Only an eagle believer can be a friend who sticks closer than a brother. All this is possible when one has a sense of “aloneness.” When you are alone with God you can soar like an eagle.
I cannot count the times I have needed a helping hand or an encouraging word from another person. Countless times! But they were never there. They were either too caught up in their own problems or were too self-centered to care what was happening to somebody else. But praise God, He was always there with open, outstretched arms! My Lord! My “ever present help in time of need.”
I firmly believe that God designed it that way. He will share the glory with no man. All people - I don’t care who they are - have the potential of letting you down. When you put all your trust and dependence on a certain individual God will arrange it for that person to somehow not meet your need to total satisfaction. God wants to be the only one you go to with total trust and confidence. Soaring alone doesn’t mean you don’t have fellowship with other people. It means your dependence is on God and Him alone.
On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came as “a mighty rushing wind.” An eagle soars on the wind currents of the Spirit of God. Not long ago I was at my favorite state park and I hiked to a point called “Eagle Cliff.” I looked up and saw a giant bird with outstretched wings soaring in the air. That’s all it did. It soared! Not once as I watched it did it flap it’s wings. No, it soared! I envied that bird and then I noticed that it was all by itself. It soared alone! What am I saying? Trust in God and Him alone. Then go out and soar like an eagle. God said in Ex. 19:4, “…I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.”
