(Editor's Note: Today's Guest Writer is Parker Kathleen May)
When I played volleyball in high school, my team had a pretty good first year, but not the best. We got into our own heads and allowed ourselves to be beaten by other teams. The next year, however, we resolved to be different, to be better, and the first thing we did was designate a Bible passage for our team. The passage that our coach decided on was Isaiah 40:28-31.
Our coach made sure that we had this verse memorized, and the captain had us repeat it before almost every practice. Whenever we started to lose during a game, they would remind us of this verse to encourage us, to remind us that God is the one that gives us our strength, and with Him, we will have the spirit to keep fighting. While it is a great verse for encouragement during a sporting event, this verse –like most verses from the Bible – is applicable to everyday life.
The world can be a very tiring place physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. When the day beats you down, it is easy to give in to the feeling of wanting to do nothing. When looking at the state of our country and then the world, it can be easy to think that there is almost no point in trying to minister to people. It is easy to kick someone when they are down, and it seems like the world is trying to do just that. When that happens, we start to get weary and wonder how we can have the strength to go on. This verse is a beacon of hope for those who feel as if they cannot stand on their own two feet anymore.
- In the first part of the passage (Isaiah 40:28), we find that the God we choose to serve and put our faith in does not get tired. Where mankind falls short, our God is not only strong enough to continue but will continue going without faltering. He understands that we will waver in our resolve from time to time.
- The passage goes on to inform us that God will give us strength (Isaiah 40:29). Whenever we feel weak, God will be there to pick us up. Remember that our strength comes from God. He understands that we struggle, but He is still there to give us strength when it feels as if we cannot continue. He does not want to see us fail.
- It doesn’t matter how old we are or how much experience we have; we will always need the strength that God gives us. Even when we are young and in our top physical or spiritual health, we are still susceptible to falling (Isaiah 40:30). We are human no matter what age we are, and we have limitations.
- God offers His strength, but not to just anybody. According to the verse, only those who “wait upon the Lord” can have it (Isaiah 40:31). When we keep our faith and trust in the Lord, the weariness of life falls away as His excellent strength surrounds us. We “mount up with wings as eagles.”
Some people think that they can handle anything on their own, but we need the Lord’s strength, especially according to Ephesians 6:10-12. When it seems too tiring to go to church or too exhausting to witness, we need to remember that, “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
We need the Lord’s strength to fight and to continue doing what we need to. We can do anything through Christ (Philippians 4:13), so if He lends us his strength, let's not waste it.
Whether you are losing a game, having a hard day, or fighting a spiritual battle, the Lord is ready to give you His strength. He is just waiting for you to come to Him. The trials life throws at us are nothing compared to what we can do with God on our side. It might sound corny, but with God, we can “mount up with wings as eagles” and fly.
