09 MAY 2024 devotional

"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)

These past few months have been ones in which I have really focused upon and enjoyed peace with and in God. That, plus my love for the promises of God, brought this verse to mind this evening.

In the preceding verses God is speaking through the prophet to the nation of Israel about their coming before Him and being restored and renewed. He also mentions the fact that the people of the world (not God's people) will begin to grow weary and lose their strength. They will have no hope, no stamina, no direction. Remember how Paul said that before we were saved we lived according to the ways of this world - that we were nothing more than corpses being moved and animated by the spirit that reigns in the world.

Here He promises us that if we will wait upon Him, we will not live like those around us. Reading the headlines, listening to the news, and talking with those around us, we hear nothing but gloom and doom. Everybody is agitated in their spirits, yet hopeless as to anything good in the future. They see no way out and feel totally impotent in the face of world conditions. Yet that is not the case with the Christian.

We have hope in Christ, we get our direction from the Holy Spirit within us and the Word of God (the Bible), and are renewed day by day as we spend time with Him. We know how the story ends. We know Who ends the story. And we know what happens after the end. We have died to our old selves and now live by the power of Christ living within us. We don't need to worry about the details, we only need to walk beside the One Who is in the details. God has the master plan and Jesus has already been in our tomorrows. He knows the way to the Father because He Is the Way. In God's Presence there is peace, joy, healing, and hope.

If you are feeling lost, confused, weary, and/or hopeless, I encourage you right now to spend some time with our Father. Lay out your concerns before Him and allow the power of Christ to resolve those concerns on your behalf. He has promised to never leave you nor forsake you, and He has given us His Word to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths. Trust Him, lean upon Him, let Him strengthen you today - whatever situation in which you might find yourself.

Although I still battle with my flesh, I am learning to daily die to it. As Paul so succinctly declared in Galatians 2:20: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." That is my desire for myself as well as for you. Make that your desire as well.

Be blessed.