Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Isaiah 35:3-4a Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, "Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come."
GOD STRENGTHENS WEAK SINNERS
The prophet Isaiah uses some familiar imagery to which we can relate-- weak hands and feeble knees. I'm sure we can all remember a time from our childhood when we would hang on the playground monkey bars until our grip grew weak and we would fall. Our bodies have limited strength, we can hold on for a time, but eventually our hands will fail. It's part of our nature.
Our spiritual nature isn't much better. There may be times where you get into a good spiritual groove-- where you're praying every morning and evening, faithfully conducting your family devotions and daily Bible study. But eventually, your grip on God can grow weak. Maybe you start to fail in your prioritization of God and his Word. Maybe television, or video games, or social media begin to take up too much of a place in your life. What happens when we fail to give God the proper priority and glory in our lives? We start to become unsure. We lose our sense of security and comfort. We become fearful about the future. We become feeble-kneed and anxious in heart. And before we know it, our stance for God can grow weak.
Doesn't it seem like an impossible mission to strengthen weak sinners like us? God's Word through the prophet Isaiah comforts us and gives us strength. Our caring heavenly Father understands our spiritual needs far better than we, His children, do. God accomplishes the impossible mission of strengthening our weak, spiritual hands, feeble and fearful, spiritual knees, and anxious hearts. When you fail to always make God your priority, when you feel like you're backsliding further and further from your heavenly Father, remember these words of God from Isaiah: "Be strong; fear not! . . . Your God will save you." The power to overcome our spiritual weakness does not lie within us, the power is in God's Word. The power is in the good news of Christ crucified for all your sins. The power is in that Good News: "Be strong; fear not!" This is a gospel message! The Gospel message dispels fear. So, when you feel weak, when you feel anxious, or afraid, return again and again to the promises found in the Bible which preserve you and bring you through worrisome and wearisome times. When life changes suddenly and becomes difficult, or world events throw all your familiar certainties into confusion, God is still with you, and He will save you. Remember that your eternal salvation does not depend on how tight you hold onto God, but rather how tight he holds onto you. And he has an iron grip. Let that be your comfort and let that be your motivation to turn away from laziness and forgetfulness, and instead make God the priority in life.
