Isaiah 40:31 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.
There was a time in my life when I decided to invest in paperweights. Some people refer to them as dumbbells, but for me, they really ended up with an alternative purpose! I’ve seen the ads and had the passing fancy that ‘maybe I really should start working out.’ But that fancy always passes pretty fast for me!
Isaiah had a different workout regimen in mind. His (and the Holy Spirit’s) plan begins with hoping in the Lord. Some versions say ‘trust’ in the Lord. When my hope is in the Lord, I begin to transfer all my plans into His hands. When I put my hope in Him, my strength will be renewed. The great thing is, the renewed strength isn’t really my strength returned to its peak. (That’s not much of a reward!) It is strength itself that is renewed. The strength God intended for Adam before the fall. With that strength I will soar on wings like eagles! I will rise above the concerns of the day-to-day issues and to onlookers, I will seem to effortlessly rise above them. But it won’t be because I tried harder, but due to my hopes in the Lord.
With that renewed strength, I will run and not grow weary. But I won’t be chasing after all that the world has to offer. I will run after God and His will. I will pursue what He wants with what seems a never-tiring pace. It will appear that I can’t wait to serve God!
With that renewed strength, I will walk and not be faint. I will walk in His ways. I will daily, with striking, and perhaps even boring, regularity, follow God’s program. I will read the Bible and pray, I will go to church and worship with other believers. I will share in the Lord’s Supper. I will tithe and give offerings to the church. And I will do all of this with a mundane regularity like a long walk. (A lifelong walk.) To the outsider looking in, they may see this walk and be tired from just thinking about it. But with my renewed strength, given to me by God, I will walk this way day in and day out and not be faint.
Those erstwhile paperweights I mentioned, if used regularly, could give me some measure of strength. But it would be strength for my own purposes. It wouldn’t be bad in and of itself, but it wouldn’t be more. The strength that God offers us is for His purposes but will benefit us in ways we can’t imagine.
If I ever really did use those dumbbells, I might become stronger. But that strength in time will fade. The renewed strength that God gives will only increase over time! When I put my trust in the Lord I will soar, run, and walk, and it will be something to see! But do that for ten years and there’ll be no comparison! Just imagine what a lifetime of trusting and hoping in the Lord will do!
Blessings
Pastor Russ
