Give Me The Wings of Faith to Rise

April 8, 2020April 8, 2020

Many of us are struggling with the restrictions in place as a result of the pandemic. We indepent-thinking, strong-willed, pioneer-spirited Americans do not like not being able to do what we want to do when we want to it. So, we are struggling to stay at home.

One woman with whom I spoke said she felt isolated and as though her “wings had been clipped or broken.” When I commented that I knew it was difficult to stay at home in isolation, she said that the hardest part was that her faith was weak, and she asked me to pray that her faith would grow.

That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5 ESV).

Isaac Watts wrote a hymn, Give Us The Wings of Faith, that encourages us to ask the Lord to increase our faith, and it tells us what strong faith does for us.

Give us the wings of faith to rise
within the veil, and see
the saints above, how great their joys,
how bright their glories be.

In this stanza, “the wings of faith” enable us to see the with our “spiritual” eyes the joys and glories of the saints in heaven. It reminds me of two Scripture passages, Revelation 4:10 that talks about the joys and glories of those who fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever, and Hebrews 6:19a (ESV) that talks of a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.

Once they were mourning here below,
their couch was wet with tears;
they wrestled hard, as we do now,
with sins and doubts and fears.

I love how this stanza reminds us that the saints in heaven who are experiencing great joys and whose glories are bright experienced difficult circumstances here on earth and wrestled with “sins and doubts and fears” (Ephesians 6:12) just as we do.

We ask them whence their victory came:
they, with united breath,
ascribe their conquest to the Lamb,
their triumph to his death.

What a great picture this stanza paints as we ask the saints how they were victorious while they lived on earth. The answer, of course, is that victory comes by faith alone through the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:13-14).

They marked the footsteps that he trod,
his zeal inspired their breast,
and, following their incarnate God,
possess the promised rest.

In this stanza we are encouraged to do what the saints in heaven did while they walked on earth—follow Christ’s example. Inspired by His zeal, they resolved to follow “their incarnate God.”

Our glorious Leader claims our praise
same path to heaven, for his own pattern given;
while the long cloud of witnesses
show the same path to Heaven.

Faith, in this stanza, causes us to pray to God, “Our glorious Leader” and to be encouraged by the pattern of “the long cloud of witnesses” who show us “the path to heaven” (1 Peter 1:3-5), the resting place of our eternal Hope.

As our “wings of faith” grow stronger, our strength will be renewed, we will gain a new perspective, we will have the ability to run the race without becoming weary, and we will be given sustaining strength to keep on keeping on (Isaiah 40:31).

Prayer: Our Gracious Heavenly Father, give me wings of faith so that we will be able to see the joys and glories of the saints and their example that points us to You as You point us to “the path of heaven.”

Thought for the Day: We can have “wings of faith” in the midst of difficult circumstances.

Click to Tweet: We can have “wings of faith” in the midst of difficult circumstances.