larshaukeland

17 Strength to keep going

Encouragement for difficult days (17):

STRENGTH TO KEEP GOING

“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 40:31

One of the greatest men of the Bible is the prophet Isaiah. He ministered to his people when Israel was suffering with decay from the inside and invasion from the outside. In these times of troulble, the Lord sent His Word as seen above. It was a message of encouragement to His people, a special message for those who are ready to quit. When we feel that things are especially difficult, and we’re ready to give up, we should take this passage and read it thoroughly.

1.       God promises to help us fly

There are times in our lives when the only solution is to fly – to rise above the problems of life and soar over them. God wants to make eagles out of us, but sometimes we prefer to crawl like ants. What a tragedy! God is able to lift us above our troubles that have entrapped us. This doesn’t mean that ignore them or forget them, but you lift yourself up and get a heavenly perspective on it. This does not apply to the lost, of course, but if you have been born again, you can pray that the Lord will make you fly and see things from His perspective. Sometimes we are too close to the problem to get a proper perspective.

2.       God promises to help us run

All of us know what it is to be weary. There are times when we just have to keep running, times when we simply cannot quit. Perhaps you have been at work all day, then you have to go to the hospital or someone’s house and visit for hours. This is one of those times when the Lord has promised us that He will help us run and not be weary. Sometimes we just have to claim those promises He has made. Doctors tell us that in emergency hours, glands produce extra strength to help us survive. This is not just true physically, but also spiritually. Call on the Lord, and He will strengthen you.

3.       God promises to help us walk

Sometimes it is more difficult to walk than to fly. Sometimes in crises we will turn to the Lord, and He will help us soar above the problems. There is a special excitement and challenge about the emergencies of life, but what about the full daily routine of life? It is one thing to mount up with the wings of eagles, or try to rul and not be weary – but what about walking ,walking, walking, day after day? God does promise us here to give us daily strength so we can walk and not faint. There may not be anything romantic about your daily routine, but it is important to you, to God, and to others around you who depend on you. God can help you with all this.

4.       God expects us to wait for Him

The secret of it all is to wait on the Lord. What does it all mean?

Firt\st of all we must spend time in His presence in worship and prayer.

You and I are prone to be impulsive and rush ahead of God.. If we only could wait on the Lord and remain in His presence, we could get the wisdom and strength we need to keep going day by day.

“Wait on the Lord,” says the psalmist. “Be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14). What a difference it makes when we quiet our hearts before God, read His Word, talk to Him in prayer, and wait patiently for His strength.

5. Renewing the strength

“Renew” actually means to “exchange”. “They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength…” We exchange our strength for His strength. We hand in out little pocket batteries and plug into His dynamo! He has all the strength we need to keep going, and there is no reason toquit!

If you ever get to that place that you’re feeling tired and want to quit, take some time to contemplate Isaiah 40:31.Exchange you weakness for His strength, and He will make you fly, run and walk with His power