When Eagles Rise: The Call to Ascend

God wants us to ascend daily.

The word “ascend” comes from the Latin ascendere, made up of two parts: ad, meaning “to” or “toward,” and scandere, meaning “to climb.” Put together, it paints a picture of climbing toward something—or in our case, Someone. God is calling us to climb toward Him.

Where is He? Scripture tells us that God has exalted Christ “to the highest place” and seated Him “at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion” (Ephesians 1:20–21). His position cannot be measured, mapped, or contained by human categories. The distance between where we are and where He is cannot be quantified, yet it is not closed off to us. In fact, this immeasurable gap is one of the clearest evidences of His greatness: He dwells in unapproachable light, and yet He makes Himself approachable through Christ (1 Timothy 6:16; Hebrews 4:14–16).

So we have a worthwhile journey to take here on earth as we climb toward Him daily. This is not a literal climb but a spiritual one—setting our minds “on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1–2). Each day, in prayer, obedience, worship, and trust, we take another step upward.

As we climb toward Him, we are not left unchanged. We are “being transformed into his image with ever‑increasing glory” (or “from one degree of glory to another”) as we behold the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18). The psalmist describes those who journey toward God as going “from strength to strength; each appears before God in Zion” (Psalm 84:7). This is the daily ascension of the believer: glory to glory, strength to strength.

Isaiah tells us that “those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31). Conceptually, ascending means rising to higher levels or moving upward from a base. In real life, that ascent often begins with a steep, effortful phase, continues through a middle phase where we develop skill and holy habits, and over time can become swifter and more fluid as we learn to cooperate with grace. Like the eagle, we may struggle at first to gain height, but as our spiritual “wings” strengthen and the currents of God’s Spirit carry us, we begin to soar higher and faster than we ever could in our own strength.

This means that our early steps toward God may feel difficult—breaking habits, confronting sin, surrendering control, and choosing obedience when it costs us. Yet Paul urges us to “glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3–4). That hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Hope, rooted in God’s love and promises, becomes the energizing substance that makes every subsequent ascent—every new step of faith—more aligned, more joyful, and more Spirit‑empowered.

Ascending toward God is always a transformative experience. Abraham went up Mount Moriah and encountered God as Provider, discovering that “on the mountain of the Lord it will be provided” (Genesis 22:14). Moses ascended Mount Sinai and returned radiant, having received God’s covenant and glory (Exodus 19–20; 34:29–35). Elijah climbed Horeb in exhaustion and met God not in the wind, earthquake, or fire but in a gentle whisper that reoriented his calling (1 Kings 19:8–18). On a high mountain, Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, His face and garments shining as the Father’s voice declared, “This is my beloved Son; listen to Him” (Matthew 17:1–8).

In each story, going up the mountain to meet God results in deep transformation and sends the person back down different than they ascended. So it is with us. As we answer God’s daily call to ascend—to climb toward Him in faith, obedience, and worship—we are changed. We may begin with struggle, but by His Spirit we will mount up with wings like eagles, moving from glory to glory and strength to strength, until the day we are fully with Him in the heights where He already reigns.