Friday, February 25, 2011
(Isaiah 40:21-31 The Lord gives strength to the weak.)
Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might he increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall utterly fall; but those who wait on 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.
ON EAGLES' WINGS (Part 1)
What a beautiful and powerful picture of what God does for His people. It's no wonder verse 31 is so popular on cards and plaques and posters. "Those who wait on 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." What great power the Lord gives.
The eagle depicts the strength that comes from the LORD. The Lord describes His deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt with the same picture. "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself" (Exodus 19:4).
One thing we need to notice is that God does not promise never to let any troubles come into your life. Israel had troubles on the way to Sinai but God carried them through them all. The fact that we grow weary and faint indicates that we do have hardships to deal with. What God does promise is to carry us through them. He gives the strength to deal with those troubles until He chooses to remove them from us. He promises to strengthen your soul and spirit so that you soar above the troubles of life and not let them get you down. He gives the strength of faith to know that in all things we are more than conquerors through Christ. He gives us the peace of knowing that all these things will work out for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28).
He gives us the confidence to say with the Apostle Paul, "We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. ... knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus ... Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 14, 16).
