28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: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.
Isaiah 40:27-31, KJV
"The Real Source of Our Energy..."
Isaiah 40: 27-31 talks about those who have trusted in the Lord, have determined to serve the Lord, are seeking the Lord and yet are greatly discouraged. In the midst of national disaster, Babylonian captivity, pain and suffering, the true worshippers of God are wondering why their prayers seemed to be going unanswered. They are asking, “Has God forgotten us?” The Lord, through the prophet Isaiah reminds them of some very important things…that God is, the real source of our energy!
Because of the demands placed upon our high maintenance lives and for a variety of other reasons, many are now experimenting with any number of so called energy promoting or producing remedies. “Red Bull,” “Energy Source,” green tea, acacia berry drinks, special fruit smoothies, disgusting looking green concoctions, chai, you name it, folks are trying it!
But even after taking some or all of these things, many still find that they are restless, haggard, weary, wounded and sad. There is a difference between being weary and being physically tired. Everyone gets tired. But you don’t have to get weary.
Weariness is a condition of the spirit. Weariness is when your spirit feels daunted, your heart feels frustrated, your mind feels confused, and your soul is struggling not to give up. Lots of things can make you feel weary – difficult relationships, lack of finances and other resources, health challenges, questions about the meaning of your existence, wayward children, fearfulness about losing your job, wondering if God is paying any attention to your prayers and your life predicament.
This last issue – wondering if God “gets it,” was the plight of the audience in our text. They were saying, “Our way appears to be hidden from the Lord.” In other words, they were saying, “The Lord must not be aware of my circumstances, at least that is the way He is treating me!” Have you ever just paused and said, if not verbally, in your head and said, “God, do you see what is going on? Why haven’t you done anything about this?”
The Lord comes back with questions of His own…
“Why are you saying that your way, your experience, your circumstances are hidden from me? Haven’t you heard? Don’t you know that I don’t grow weary? Don’t you realize that there is nothing that I don’t understand?”
The Lord says, “I give power to the faint. To those that are weak, I increase their strength.” God says that He empowers those that are fainting and He increases or gives more strength to those who are weak. Someone might be saying, “well, I’m faint and I don’t feel empowered. I’m weak and I don’t feel like He has given me any strength…”
The answer comes in the next few verses…
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:The key to gaining real energy is to learn how to wait on the Lord. To wait does not mean to sit and do nothing. To “wait” means to serve the Lord. I am reminded of the 10 lepers that cried out to Jesus to heal them. The Scripture declares, “As they went, they were healed…”
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.
Listen to these verses in the Message Bible…
And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired,
gives fresh strength to dropouts.
For even young people tire and drop out,
young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon GOD get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don’t get tired,
they walk and don’t lag behind.
It’s so easy to stop serving the Lord when we get into a state of weariness. But waiting consists of some things…
Think of the waiter in the restaurant.
A waiter takes orders…
A waiter makes preparation…
A waiter serves…
While we wait, we need to listen and move as the Lord dictates…
While we wait, we need to make preparations for what God is getting ready to do…
While we wait, we need to continue to be faithful and serve the Lord by doing whatever it is that God has called us to do.
As we move in faith, as we serve the Lord with gladness, as we listen and obey God’s Word and follow God’s way, our weariness will be replaced with energy. God energizes us when we make up our minds to walk with Him. God strengthens us by reminding us of His promises and revealing His beauty even in the midst of dark and trying times.
God reveals Himself in unexpected ways when we make up our minds to search for Him with all of our hearts.
The Lord is the real source of our energy.
Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com
Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris
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