Isaiah 40:31 - But they that
wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as
eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
(KJV)
The Lord has promised to renew our strength when we
wait on Him. Wow! With this truth, I can rise energetically, and look forward to
this day with Him. I can face anything with the Lord beside me. It is true that
one's strength, during the senior years, is less than in earlier years, but with
the Lord God renewing our strength, nothing can defeat us or put us down.
As human beings, God has created us with weak and
needy bodies, right? No -- wrong! God has created each of us with a marvellous
body. But our bodies were created to need strength, to need Him! Paul reminds us
of that fact in one of my favourite verses: "I can do all things through
[Christ] who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13 NRSV) So it is Christ who
strengthens me. I need to talk with Him more!
Everything comes from waiting on God as we pray to Him
and walk through each day with the Lord. Notice, however, the word "renew". It
points to our need each day for renewal as our bodies run out of strength.
Several years ago, when I was preaching every Sunday,
I was tired and weary one particular week. As I was leading the Bible discussion
group that week, we agreed to pray for my energy level, especially during the
following Sunday service. While delivering the sermon, the Lord not only gave me
strength, but also filled me with His Spirit. I was flying, not with pride and
knowledge, but with the Holy Spirit speaking through me, and I enjoyed myself as
I spoke on His Word. That was Spirit-energy, and it showed. People were moved,
and we all rejoiced during the closing prayer. God was with us!
Do you feel in need of renewal, of more strength? Ask
your friends, your sisters and brothers in Christ, to pray for you, for "they
that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength."
Prayer: It is so simple, Lord. You are here, but we
get overwhelmed and carried away, far from Your presence. We come to You now and
ask for Your Spirit to renew our strength for this day. In prayer, we wait upon
You. May we rejoice and share with others how we feel this day. With great
thanksgiving, we go ahead with our plans, knowing that as we wait upon You for
strength, You will fill us with Your Spirit. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Iris Ford
iris_ford@telus.net
Parksville, British Columbia, Canada
Thanks to http://daily.presbycan.ca
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