He Gives Power

He Gives Power

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 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.
Isaiah 40:29-31

We live in a culture that magnifies the strength of humanity, which convinces us that somewhere within the depths of ourselves we can conjure up immeasurable strength. God’s Word gives us a dose of reality; we are a weak people.  Apart from our redemption in Christ, man is incapable of anything. We grow weary and faint at the smallest of discomforts. We have no might of our own to endure the darkest nights. It is our nature to thrash and strive against the storm. We set our foot, in defiance, in the direction of our own will and our own way. We are a self-reliant people, dependent upon our independence. Inevitably, we collapse along the way when we have exhausted our own resources. Isaiah encourages us to take a much different path. He says to God’s people: “Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these?”

To whom do we lift our eyes? We lift our eyes to the Everlasting God and the Creator of all things. To the One who never grows faint or weary. To the One who is Strength and Power. He is Wisdom for His understanding is unsearchable.  We fix our gaze upon the Christ who is able; ‘now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.’

We are to wait on the LORD.  This waiting is not in our own strength, He enables us.  The beauty of the truth we find here in today’s verses, is that the emphasis is not on our perfection in waiting or in any of our own resource or abilities. The emphasis of this entire passage is on the characteristics of the One who is able. We are already His, we are secure in salvation. It is emphatically stated that, ‘He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.’ We are already there, in His arms. We can rest and wait there. The encouragement here is to wait expectantly upon His sure leading and His faithful promises in the midst of our own exhaustion.

The contrast between the Holy One on high and man is staggeringly stark. It is a wholehearted humble experience to admit our utterly miserable condition when we grow faint and falter. To lift our eyes on high to the One who is Strength itself and who liberally gives it to those who wait upon Him, is equally staggering.  This turns to astonishment when we realize how our condition changes when we are in Christ and looking to Him in all circumstances. Isaiah proclaims we will be given power and strength will be increased. We will mount up as if on the wings of eagles and soar! We will run without fatigue and walk without fail. It is not a future encouragement.  This hope is for today, for this very moment. Strength and power are given to the faint. If that is your condition today, lift up your eyes to Him that is able. Wait expectantly and His power will sustain.

Our Everlasting Father, Our Creator and Sustainer,
We lift our eyes to You.
We wait expectantly upon You,
That we might run and not grow weary.

Where the Bush is Burning

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DL