Friends, today I was reading a Bible verse that really hit me, really spoke to my heart and I just knew I needed to write about what I was learning and share it with you. I was reading Isaiah 40:31- a verse I have learned over and over again- but today it grew new meanings for me.
"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."
Friends, I am sure that there have been times in your life when you have felt exhausted. Maybe the weights of business, the stress of work, the drain of pursuing relationships, the struggle to overcome a sin you persistently struggle with or a bad habit. I don't know the people in your life that drain out your energy, the jobs that seem to suck the joy out of your heart, or maybe it is just the conglomoration of living- that seems to weary your soul and you simply want a place to rest. You wonder how long you can continue living the way you are living...
The past couple weeks have been really busy and they've not even been bad weeks for me necessarily, just filled to the brim with people and actions and activities. And some of it has been a total blessing and so good. But just everything together, has made me feel so exhausted. And as the business of life set in, I noticed that my spiritual walk got minimized along with my health and simple good habits. These things that I normally do and the devotional time I normally spend got forgotten. And now here I am, in the beginning of a new week, and I am tired. Very tired.
Here's the thing friends, in this life, we are going to get tired, we are going to get fatigued. Especially when we are working, maybe serving in our community or in the church, maybe pursuing relationships or investing in things... it can be draining at times. We may feel like we are able to keep up with everything and then all of a sudden it crashes down.
The thing is friends- we can't expect to run alone- we can't expect to keep up in this world unless we have the love of God refueling and re-centering our lives each and every day. It really is true guys, we need Him every hour. And if we don't spend that time with Him, we are tangibly going to feel drained. Nothing will fuel us and give us inward strength to continue on in this life except for the love of Jesus. God's power is the only motivation that can keep us running- when life and the people around us may try to take us down. Without Jesus, we will find ourselves lying on our faces, totally and utterly exhausted.
So what do we do friends when we find ourselves farther away from God then we would have liked? What do we do when we find ourselves exhausted, and tired, and we can't run or fly or soar anymore?
Friends, God wants to pour out His grace, forgiveness, and mercy over your life. God is fighting for you, even when you don't make the time for Him. God's strength is strong enough to carry you- in each and every situation or battle you may find yourself in. And His desire to carry you and love you- does not change based on how many times you messed up this past week, or the times you didn't choose Him first... He is still crazy in love with you. His strength and peace is still offered for you.
Romans 8:39 is a promise for both you and me. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers.. will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
So may we find ourselves, when we are tired, running back to our Father, running back to God, who longs to carry us. Longs to help us re-find our wings and fly with Him again.