Eagle Eyes

Eagle Eyes~ Job 39:27, 29

     This beautiful Bald Eagle that I spotted next to the ocean in Maine one day was intently scanning the surface of the waters, no doubt looking for its next sushi dinner. What struck me most as I took this photo was the intensity of its eyes as it waited and watched, resolved to find a fish dinner. Its eyes were piercing and steadfast, with an intense yellow tint to them, and not once did its gaze veer off in any other direction.

     Eagle vision is remarkably astute and is as much as four to eight times more powerful than human eyesight.  An eagle’s vision operates much in the same way a pair of binoculars or a camera’s lens works, with the ability to adjust its focus near or far away. Their eyes allow them to see a distance of between two feet and up to as much as five miles away. A human eye has somewhere around 200,000 visual receptors (or cones) per square centimeter, but an eagle eye contains 1.6 million receptors per square centimeter, giving them incredibly high visual acuity. When they are flying, they know exactly where they are going, as well as the route they will use to get there just by sight and memory. Eagles are daytime fliers that soar on thermals and use familiar landmarks such as rivers and mountain ranges to guide them to the general area where they built their aerie. Once they arrive, scientists think they use more familiar and specific signals to find their particular lake, river, and nesting tree where their huge aerie is built!

 

      I believe God is calling His children who have been given a vision to see and believe in it with their “eagle eyes.”  They are people who love Jesus with all of their heart, soul, and mind and know they must avail the power of God’s Spirit to accomplish their mission. Their vision is dependable, focused, and fearless when it comes to believing God, because He will always do exactly what He promised He would do in His word. They know it will happen in His time and according to the gifts that have been given to them by the Holy Spirit, so they wait on Him expectantly and patiently.

 

2 Corinthians 4:18 tells us to “fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”  Like the eagle with its strong ability to watch and observe, God’s children need to rely on the Holy Spirit’s gift of discernment to see what the natural man cannot see. This is what our Savior expects from all His disciples, and the very thing we were made for, in order to be joyful people! Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there’s no vision the people perish: but he that keeps the law is happy.”[1.] You cannot live a fulfilled Christian life without the ability to see into the plans of God, and come alongside Him in the work of the ministry.

      If we continually focus our sight on the things of God with eternity in mind, we will observe people and this world differently, with eternity as our perspective. Everything about the eagle’s eyes represents God’s amazing works in His creation. Our human eyes will never be as sharp as an eagle’s eyes, but we have been given a unique ability to see the “bigger picture” of God’s plan for this world. Those who call themselves children of God need more “eagle vision” in order to be victorious over the enemy’s schemes, see God’s kingdom come, and His will be done now on earth as it is in Heaven! 

 

 

[1] New International Version (NIV)

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