CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 804

“Renewed Strength”

Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)  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.

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Effortless. This is a word I would use to describe a soaring eagle’s flight.  God created the eagle with the instinctive ability to harness rising currents of warm air called thermals and updrafts caused by uneven terrain such as mountain slopes.

The eagle soars with very little expended energy from wing flapping and long distance migration flights are accomplished by gliding between one thermal updraft to the next. When you consider the flight of an eagle you begin to understand why God uses the metaphor: ‘they shall mount up with wings like eagles‘ to describe the renewal of our strength.

We are a people of action.  We like sayings such as ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going’. Unfortunately the tough usually get tired and frustrated because they got going in the wrong direction or manner.  The key in our reference Scripture for renewed strength is waiting for the Lord.  However, waiting for the Lord is not inaction.  Note the action words in verse 31:  ‘mount up’, ‘run’, and ‘walk’.  All too often we take action without giving God any thought until our energy is spent and only then do we cry out to God for help.

A better saying might be: ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get on their knees.’  This is where we receive direction and strength from God to overcome the adversity we are facing.

Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. – Isaiah 37:14

The thermal updrafts harnessed by a soaring eagle are akin to the ‘tough going’ of our daily lives.  They are created by the searing heat of the sun and are associated with turbulent winds.  If you have ever flown in an airplane, you most likely have experienced the bumpy ride that the pilot called turbulence. Note that the eagle takes the thermal updrafts head on.  Note also that the eagle does not fight against the thermal but rises above it, harnessing the energy of adversity and using it to their benefit.

In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”- John 16:33b

Are you tired and weary from the adversity and challenges in your life?  Is your energy spent?  Do you feel like you cannot go on?  Are you tempted to give up and run from the trials you are facing?

Now is the time to wait upon the Lord, ‘spread your wings’ wide in abandonment to your Father. Trust in Him completely to see you through these turbulent times.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits… who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. – Psalm 103:2-5