EAGLE (1)

1. Introduction

a) On Saturday 31.03.2012 the Lord showed me a picture of an eagle when I was in Singapore. I did not search the scripture for it but I was reminded by the Lord a few times on it during the early hours the next day. Then I said to myself that I must search the scripture for the 'eagle'. So Sunday 01.04.2012 early morning I prepared this scripture texts for the Pastor-in-charge of Living Hope Methodist Church, Tampines, Singapore and his wife:

i) 28Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30Even youths grow tired and weary,and young men stumble and fall; 31but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV)

ii) 28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV)

iii) Eage's eyes are sharp and they can see its prey from a very far distance while soaring with its wings in the air. With its claws, both of its feet can catch its prey with one strike and with precision. When eagle is sick, it will not soar in the air but know how to stay in heavenly places where it can get complete rest until it recovers before once again soaring on its wings in the air.

2. What does weary and burdened mean?

a) Weary - exhausted of strength, endurance, vigour, vision.

b) Burdened - that which is borne physically or spiritually.

3. What does rest mean?

a) It means to be at ease or at peace; inactivity after work; a period of inactivity; cessation of work.

4. What is rest anointing?

a) It is God given power (anointing) that enable us to be at ease or at peace or take relief (release or cease from work or duty).

b) Sometimes we are not at ease or at peace or take relief from work or duty. We work and work and at times 7days a week and do not allow our bodies to rest or at ease or dis-ease. Thus we allow disease and sickness to come to our bodies.

c) Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 that he will give rest to the weary and burdened if we come to him.

5. What was God's idea of rest in the beginning?

a) 2By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested (ceased) from all his work. 3And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all work of creating that he had done. (Genesis 2:2-3 NIV)

i) Holy means set aside for sacred use; sanctified; purified.

ii) Seventh means completeness or perfection.

b) 15For six days, work is to done but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death. (Exodus 31:15)

i) Sabbath begins on Friday evening @6 pm and ends on Saturday evening @6 pm.

c) 3There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the Lord. (Leviticus 23:3 NIV)

6. What must we do with regard to the Sabbath?

a) To remember and keep it holy

i) 8Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy. 9Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20: 8-11 NIV)

b) To observe the Sabbath and keep it holy

i) 12Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. 15Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. (Deuteronomy 5: 12-15 NIV)