Vantage means the position of your strategic advantage. It means that you are in the position of having a comprehensive view of things. God has made us full of advantages in Christ.
Isaiah 40:28-29 Do 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. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
God is first introduced as never tired or weary; as having understanding that no one can comprehend. He gives that same strength which he possesses and by which he is never weary or tired, to those that are weary. He also increases power to those that are weak.
Isaiah 40:30-31 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall but 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.
The ‘but’ in verse 30 introduces a new set of people in God’s ability and vantage position. We have a new life entirely with advantages. It comes with peculiarities.
Ephesians 1:18-21 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
Christianity is not in words but a new life and power. The same power that raised Christ from the grave and gave him victory and power over all the enemy is the same power that has been exerted in us.
Ephesians 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, The believer is seated in Christ. We must always operate from that high place because it is the highest place. That is the position of our strategic advantage. Yet, it is possible to be at this height and still operate as an ordinary person.
Colossians 3:1-2 So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. Don’t let the weight of life carry you along. Resist that pressure to live ordinarily. Come to a position where you sit till you know who you are in Christ. After that, be alert to what is going on from that same place. The reason why we are struggling and just getting on like everyone is because we have not taken time to maximise what we have in Christ.
A shark in water is deadly to anything and anyone but once out of water, the smallest of things can trample on its head. That is because the shark is no longer in its strategic position, its positional advantage is in the water. God strategically placed everything in the best position that enables them to live the best life possible. Yours is in Christ. It is in heavenly places. That believer must be seated in Christ.
Isaiah 40:30 states in the latter part that ‘…those that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength’. The Hebrew word for ‘wait’ means those who are twisted or entwined to God. Those who are chained to the Lord are one Spirit in Him. They shall renew their strength. The ability is of God.
Isaiah 40:31 They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. The eagle is a special creature that we can all learn from. Isaiah uses an eagle to explain to ordinary men. The eagle loves to operate very high. It is at its best at its highest. From that position, the eagle has so much strength and launches from that standpoint all the time. So also the bible clearly states that those that are bound with God, will mount up and operate at its highest place in Christ.
When the eagle is hungry, he takes off higher and looks from that viewpoint. It is able to pinpoint exactly what it wants. It aims correctly. We can take off by the Spirit and see what we are looking for correctly. We need to operate from that high place all the time. We do not struggle. We operate from God and in God.
When eagles are under attack. It has one – the crow. The eagle will not attack it. Instead it will take it high up, flying up, mounting up till those crows can no longer breathe at that altitude, then they fall off and die. You do not need to bother about problems or issues. Instead soar up in Christ. Nothing can reach there. Problems will fall off. It does not have the capacity to withstand your position in Christ – the highest position ever.
Every bird finds protection somewhere when storms come. Not the eagle. The eagle loves storms. Storms take the eagle up naturally because the eagle takes advantage of the strength of the storm and uses it to mount high. Those that are bound to the Lord are strengthened in God. We are far above every storm. Paul says in weakness, he is made strong. God’s grace is made perfect in weakness. When man’s ability wanes, God’s ability comes to the fore.
Acts 27:9-10 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.”
Paul could see that this journey will not end well. That is the vantage position of the believer. People have lost their lives for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That doesn’t happen for believers. The believer knows when trouble comes. They know how to be kept from evil. Safety is of the Lord.
Acts 27:20-26 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved. After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”
That advantage of knowing; of having the spirit of discernment; that word of knowledge is an important advantage of the believer. It saves us from the hedge of evil. Staying in Christ secures us. The leading of God is an advantage. Paul got the word and could take charge. It is a constant lifestyle of following him; of being bound to God.
Don’t let life get so busy that you leave your high place. Whatever you are pursuing, start with your positioning. It’s how you operate all the time, not just the big things. Life is a journey and God knows all our days so he knows how our lives will be. Every step we take is important.
