Tuesday, June 21, 2011

~ "Oh, this is terrible - what am I doing wrong..."


Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 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. (Isa 40:30-31)

God renews our strength continually. Just when we think we cannot face another challenge by the enemy, our Father pours out His strength and fills us to the brim. When we are afraid - He makes us fearless. There is nothing we cannot accomplish. We can soar and we can stand tall. We can find the inner strength. All we need to do is wait for it!

It is in those moments when we utter the words "I should have stayed in bed" that we realize without trial and opposition, our lives would be boring. There would be no defeat, but there would be no victory. If there weren't struggles to encounter, there could be no gratitude for seeing them through to completion. Each of our lives has been touched by one victory that has changed us. That victory is the promise of a new life. It is the promise of hope that cries out to us when we want to give up. It is the light that shines on our darkest hour. It is the ability to choose between Him and the enemy. It is the knowledge that someday this will all end and we will become perfect once and for all.

When we sin (or stumble and fall), God has made a way for us to get back up, stand tall yet again and walk confidently into the next challenge. His forgiveness is forever grounded in Christ. Our strength is renewed each and every time. There is nothing too hard for Him. He sets us aside as He lifts us up. He dusts off the dirt and washes our faces strewn with tears. He holds us and comforts us. He places us back on the battlefield rested and refreshed. We walk with a King. Nothing touches us that has not been known to Him first. He knows what we need, He knows what we want. He also knows what is not in our best interest.

Have you ever stopped to wonder why certain prayers go unanswered - why it's always "someone else" who gets the breaks, someone else who wins the lottery, someone else who has the perfect mate? We think sometimes that God has forgotten us, how we struggle and what we do for Him each day. We look around at those who do nothing and have more. We struggle and fight our way through the crowd for a scrap of bread and watch as others throw away an entire loaf. Our reward will come, in His time, not ours. Our prayers are all answered - sometimes the answer is "no". But don't give up, don't give in! Choose to soar - choose to run to Him, choose to walk His path - you will not grow weary and you will not become faint - you will have what is needed to succeed...if you have Jesus!