Friday, April 28, 2023

Listen to the Word

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:30-31)

Isaiah paints a dramatic picture of what we will be able to do once God exchanges our weariness for his strength. He says we will soar like eagles, we will run without growing weary, and we will walk without fainting. That list always seemed backwards and anti-climactic to me. I would expect Isaiah to start with walking, then build to running, then hit the high point of soaring through the clouds. But sometimes the biggest miracle is when you can just keep walking. It isn’t as spectacular as the occasional experience of soaring with God, but it can be even more supernatural – just to keep walking through all you face, day in and day out, to walk and not be faint. To do so requires a constant, steady stream of God’s grace and power. You need his strength all day, every day to keep walking through the dirt of life, walking through the valley of the shadow of death, walking the narrow way – and not becoming weary, stubbornly refusing to give up, continuing to walk even though it isn’t easy. We must rely on God for the power to keep on walking.

Live the Word

The next time you are tempted to give up, ask God to give you the strength to keep walking.