Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40: 28-31 (NKJV)
It’s been a long year.
It’s been a short year.
Whichever it seems like to you, it’s still going.
So today, a simple reminder for us as we continue on.
Here it is. Remember, that no matter what we have been through this year, or what circumstances we find ourselves in now, or whatever we anticipate to be coming around the bend, we can trust Him for the next steps. Even though we may be weary, anxious or uncertain.
We’ve all been there. When the grind of so many things we go through begins to take its toll on you and others around you. Where the days of the journey all seem to be uphill.
Tired. Passion and desire is low. Worn down. Been there.
But those are the circumstances. Now here’s the Gospel truth—in those circumstances, and all circumstances, God is with us, and always has a purpose for us. So here’s the question—in those circumstances and where we are wanting to believe that God has a purpose, what is our response to the grind, the junk, difficulties, and other circumstances of the day?
Read again verse thirty-one from the passage in Isaiah, this time from the NIV translation—
“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 you have it. Verse thirty-one lays out what our response should be in whatever the circumstances we face for the rest of this year, the next, and the next. Wherever we are, Isaiah tells us that we are to “wait on the Lord” (NKJV), to “hope in the Lord” (NIV).
In other words, to stand there right in the midst of whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, continuing to do all we are gifted and called to do, knowing we are standing there next to our active God, and trusting Him to help us to carry out His overall purpose for our lives.
And then when we do, here’s the promise, from the second part of verse thirty-one—
“The Lord will renew our strength, we will soar on wings like eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not faint.”
We can be anxious, fearful, fight or complain about what we’re in the middle of. We can throw our hands in the air in frustration and just walk away.
But what God tells us to do is to stand, to stay, and to “wait,” to “hope” with Him. To be there with Him near us, and to trust Him and His forever purpose for our good and His glory in all the circumstances of our lives.
So whether it has been a long year or a short year, and no matter what we’re in the middle of, or facing—Wait, Hope—with Him.
In His Name–Scott
