This busy week is off to a rough start.
The past two nights have been characterized by very little sleep. I was awakened early both nights and unable to get back to sleep, no matter what I tried. Five hours sleep since waking up Saturday morning. I usually do fine on very little sleep, but this morning I am a bit on the weary side. Ok, maybe a bit more than a bit weary. And dreading the night ahead.
With much to do for both work and the kids, plus trying to find another part-time job, I am frustrated. I need to be and want to be at the top of my game. But I’m not.
In my frustration, I turned to a familiar passage–Isaiah 40:28-31. I used to view this passage with a sort of “contempt”, piling it into my pile of “overused cliche’s” and “verses that Christians use as a crutch”. But now that I am different, now that I believe, I find myself turning to several of those “cliche’d” verses. They are not cliche. They are not to be cross-stitched and hung on a wall (um, unless you are in to that kind of thing I suppose).
This morning I am taking my cues from this passage below. He gives power to the faint. Power to the faint. As I was frantically cleaning house early early this morning, I felt weak. Frustrated. Goofed up. But now that I have settled and have studied and written much on this passage, I find myself looking to this Everlasting God, who does not grow faint or weary, and who gives strength to the strengthless. That is me this morning. “……they that wait for the Lord shall renew their strength”. During my study and prayer time this morning (Tryst) I had nothing in me except this….to wait. To pray. To wait. To beg God for mercy.
It’s not a magic formula. It doesn’t mean that I’m not still tired, still looking at the day and days ahead a bit overwhelmed, and dreading the nighttime as well. But I am determined now to wait on my Lord and my God. Because I know that scripture is truth, and that the strength I need—the strength He has given me time and time again—comes only through Him and from Him.
He is the everlasting God.
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
Side Note: I am so grateful for the new Reformation Network. I turned to it in the middle of the night when I could not sleep, and listened to it while I was cleaning house. They provide 24/7 streaming of sermons and teaching from many different pastors, including John MacArthur and John Piper and Al Mohler.
***Late Afternoon Update: Ironically–and it’s pretty funny, actually–I’ve been given an assignment for work that is due tomorrow. It looks like it will be a possible very late night tonight and very early morning tomorrow. I’ll be depending on God-given strength to do my very best. If you are a regular reader of this blog and you read this update, I would greatly appreciate any prayers for focus and ability to complete this project well, as well as for strength and wellness.
Thank you for sharing this. It is just what I needed. We are in the process of moving back to MO and am exhausted from packing, loading, driving, and now waiting for trucks to arrive to unpack and these verses have been just the reminder I need.
I will lift you up. Thanks for the reformation link. We will look into that.
Old friend from MBTS,
Nancy