Dem Go Fly Up with Wings like Eagle

High above di hills, one big bird spread im wings. E no dey flap. E no dey struggle. E just dey rise, higher and higher, as di warm air dey carry am. And far down, one man wey don tire dey watch am, and e wish say e fit feel like dat.

Jerusalem don fall. Di temple don scatter. Dem don carry plenty of God people go Babylon, hundreds of miles from house. Years dey pass. Children dey grow wey never see Jerusalem. Babylon temples big well well, im gods dey everywhere, and im armies be like say nobody fit defeat dem. And plenty of di people wey dey exile begin think: maybe God don forget us. Maybe e no dey see us again. Di book of Isaiah, from chapter forty go, dey talk straight into dose days. E start with dese words: Comfort, comfort my people, na so una God talk. And near di end of dat chapter, one message come for people wey don just tire finish.

First, God repeat wetin di people don dey talk. Why you dey talk, O Jacob, why you dey say, O Israel, my way hide from Di Lord, and my God don pass my case? Why una dey talk say, God no fit see wetin dey happen to me. My matter no concern am. You don ever feel like dat? Like say you don dey pray and nothing dey change, and maybe God don stop to listen? God no scold dem because dem feel like dis. E answer dem. Just before dis one, e don tell dem make dem look up for di sky for night. Lift up una eyes. Who create all dese stars? E dey bring dem out like army, and e dey call every one by name. Not one dey miss. If e know every star, e know you.

You never know? You never hear say di God wey dey forever, Di Lord, di Creator of di ends of di earth, no dey weak, and e no dey tire? Una never hear? God no dey tire. Im strength no dey ever finish, e no need rest, e no dey ever give up. And nobody fit measure how deep im understanding be. But see di wonderful part. E no keep im strength for imself. E dey give power to di people wey don weak; and to di people wey no get strength, e dey add strength. Then Isaiah talk something wey every athlete know. Even young people dey tire and dey weak. Even di strongest young men dey stumble and fall.

And then di promise come. But di people wey dey wait for Di Lord go get new strength; dem go fly up with wings like eagle; dem go run, and dem no go tire; dem go waka, and dem no go weak. To wait for Di Lord no mean to sit down dey do nothing. E mean to trust am, to hope for am, to look to am for help. And see di three steps. To fly na for di high moments. To run na for di busy days wey dey demand plenty. And to waka, just to dey put one leg after di other, na for di long, slow, ordinary times. God promise strength for all three. For di people wey dey exile for Babylon, dis na promise say di long waiting no go crush dem. And for di right time, God bring dem back home.

Di Hebrew word wey dem translate as eagle here na nesher. Dem dey use am for big birds wey dey hunt, and plenty experts think say many times e mean di griffon vulture, one very big bird wey still dey Israel today. Di wings of griffon vulture, from one end to di other, pass two metres. Dem no dey flap almost at all. Instead dem dey ride di warm air wey dey rise, wey dem call thermals, dey circle higher and higher without almost any effort. Dat one na correct picture of strength wey come from something wey pass you.

You go find dis promise for Isaiah chapter forty, verse twenty-seven reach thirty-one. Message for people wey don tire, wey think say God don forget dem. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When you feel tired or like say dem don forget you, how e go be to wait for Di Lord?