“The Lord is like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions.” (Deuteronomy 32:11)
An eagle, like other birds, creates a warm soft feather bed for their young to be born in. Then there comes a day when it is time for them to learn to fly and leave the nest. They know if they do not teach them to leave that nest, they will be open to the attack of a predator. Not knowing how to fly away, they would have no defense. So it is up to the mama to make the baby bird leave the nest no matter what it takes.
This particular verse is describing how the eagle shakes the nest, and removes all the downy and soft feathers leaving only the uncomfortable thorns. This leaves the bird two choices: he can sit and get sores and hurt from the thorns, or he can face the unknown and spread his wings. But know that the mother eagle has spread her wings to catch them and carry them on her pinions, if need be. She has not left them even though they are no longer in the nest.
“God is more concerned with our condition than our comfort. At times He stirs up our nests to make our comforting things uncomfortable” (Lisa Bevere “Out Of Control and Loving It”) The warm soft nest will become a place we can no longer be in, what seems safe and secure may become a danger to us, no longer safe. A stumbling block that we depend on instead of God. Maybe a job, maybe a husband, maybe a Pastor. God does shake things to see what is real. Not for Him, but for us.
God removes the Downy from our nest and requires us to step out into the next thing. It is scary, and unknown, and we do not understand why He would allow us to be in pain. Once we move into the next place, when we are flying, we understand. He wasn’t causing us pain simply for the sake of pain. He saw beyond our comfort zone. He saw the potential that lie within us to FLY!
Do you feel like all the Downy has been removed from your nest? Everything around you hurts? Everything safe and secure stripped away from you? Then take heart, God must think you are ready to fly!
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)