But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

The Scriptures promise us eagle wings as we wait on God. What does that mean?

Fresh from the egg, the eaglet is covered with down that is excellent for insulation but useless as an airfoil. He must grow flight feathers before he can soar.

When we first trust Jesus, we often have "warm fuzzies." These wonderful, God-given emotions won't empower or sustain. Like flight feathers, faith matures by learning.

The desire to soar is inborn in the eaglet, but he doesn't know how. It is a learned skill. He tries. He stands on the edge of the nest and stretches his wings in response to winds gusts. Occasionally, a breeze lifts him. It's exhilarating and frightening. His fear is well placed. Nearly 40 percent of young eaglets do not survive their first flight.

Young Christians intensely love Jesus. They want to tell everyone about Him. But there is a very real danger: Their exuberant faith endangers established relationships, which makes new believers lose their balance.

By eight weeks, the young eaglet's attentive parents hunt almost continuously to feed him. Even if he could fly, he doesn't know how to hunt. He stretches to develop his wing muscles, but his heavy body keeps him grounded.

Hopefully, via mature Christians, the new Christian receives nourishment from the Word. They may not know how to study the Bible for themselves but regular receive teaching.