Finding New Strength

“Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Each time I look on the wall above my desk, I can read the words of this verse.  The verse and an Eagle were painted on a four foot long section of whale baleen, and has a very special place in my heart. You see, it was presented to me by an Inuit family that made a decision to follow Christ when I pastored a church in Alaska back in 2002.

We had started a basketball camp each summer with almost 60 kids attending each year.  For several weeks leading up to the camp we begin our preparations with prayer and working hard to get everything ready for the arrival of these kids.  The camp last three days and we provided rooms and meals.  Our second year, two young boys from Barrow, up on the Arctic Ocean, prayed to receive Jesus.  They then asked us to pray for their parents who, sadly, had a drinking problem.  On the last day of the camp, the coaches made a gospel presentation and both parents also made a decision for Christ.

With gratitude in their hearts for showing them the love of Christ, they presented the two coaches and myself with the gift of the whale baleen.  Each time I glance up to Isaiah 40:31 on the wall, I remember their labor of love and appreciation.  At the end of Camp we would be exhausted.  But it means so much to know that because we were willing to be the hands and feet of Christ to these people, we will one day stand together with them in heaven; praising and worshiping the one true and glorious God.   

If you Google the word “exhausted,” you’ll get a definition that says, “Drained of one’s physical or mental resources; very tired.”  Does that word describe you right now?  Our bodies can be so physically drained that they refuse to get up in the mornings, to lift the heavy objects, or even to get where you need to go.  Our mind can get so stressed and drained that it’s hard to care about anything, even a relationship.  Exhausted is a dangerous state of being that we need to avoid.

This amazing verse reminds us of one of God's most precious promises, “…those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength.”  We get into trouble when we attempt to develop our own strength instead of waiting for Him.  It is significant to read in God's Word that anytime people run ahead of God and rely upon their own strength, they get into trouble.  On the other hand, when people inquire of the Lord and wait for Him to lead, they are rewarded with His power.

God asks us to sometimes do things that are beyond our ability so that we will trust Him.  He’s interested more in your obedience and willingness than in your strength and intellect.  He doesn’t need you in order to accomplish anything, yet He chooses to partner with you to enact His will.  If you’re willing to step out in faith and to trust Him, He’s willing to give you the ability and strength you lack.

You can be exhausted from doing all your other duties and still have the strength to do what God wants as long as you put your trust in Him.

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