But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar on wings like eagles…Isaiah 40:31
I love the prophet Isaiah. Many of my favorite stand-alone verses and passages come from this book of the Bible. I recently did a study with BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) that took us on a whirlwind tour of many of the prophets as they fit into the context of Israel’s history.
I used to think that the prophets were hard to understand and often delivered a very negative message, but then God opened my eyes to see that the prophets were delivering love letters from God. Not love letters of a traditional sort, but more of a passionate plea to a beloved in the midst of a tumultuous relationship.
God consistently pursued Israel in good times and bad. He still pursues His beloved (you, me…) to this very day. He wants all of us to see that He has provided all we need, if we would just trust Him.
That brings me to Isaiah 40:31 which says: “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”
Now I don’t know about you, but the last few years have been exhausting for me. Not just physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well.
Wouldn’t it be great to find new strength?
God wants to do that for us, but it requires a resource that is rather rare these days. We have to trust.
Again, I may be alone in this, but over the past few years I have lost trust with almost every official entity in my life. I don’t trust the news to be unbiased (from ANY source). I don’t trust our government to have our nation’s best interests in mind. I don’t trust big pharmaceutical companies for keeping their financial interests from interfering with true wellness. I don’t trust social media outlets that “fact check” – supposedly without an agenda. I don’t even trust the denomination with which I used to worship, as they have recently decided to edit the Bible to be more palatable to society.
That is a long list of “I don’t trust…” What do I trust? It’s not a what, it’s a who. I trust Jesus Christ!
Jesus brought us the good news of the gospel of truth. Jesus died so that our (yours and my) best interests could be served. Jesus cares not only about our bodies, but also about our souls, and offers healing free of charge. Jesus wants us to rejoice in the truth, which is so much more than just facts, and Jesus unapologetically put forth the Scriptures as the very word of God.
By putting my trust in Jesus, I really have found new strength, but it’s not a one and done deal. It is a continuous choice to put aside the chaos of the world and look to Jesus to supply all I need.
Need – Not Want
It’s not hard to devote ourselves to a guarantee we will get what we want. That seems ideal. But…that brings me to one more thing I do not trust…me. I admit, I don’t always have my own best interests at heart.
In order to fully trust God for that new strength He promises in Isaiah 40:31, we have to let go of outcomes. Trying to make things work out by our plan causes stress, anxiety, and exhaustion. We have to be willing to accept the outcome God has ordained. Then we can rest and have renewed strength to continue on our walk with Jesus.
Is this easy to do? No – it’s impossible without the help of the Holy Spirit, so invite Him into your life. For those of us who know Jesus, He is already with us. All that is required is to release all the areas of your life to the control of the Holy Spirit. (Who isn’t holding something back?) This is a daily (some might even say hourly) task this side of heaven.
For those who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior, your first step is to invite Jesus to take His rightful place in your life. Recognize that life is hard and the world is broken. Admit that you need to be saved from the world’s influence and your own sinful desires (the things you think you want, but in all honesty just complicate your life). Ask Jesus to open your spiritual eyes so that you will see Him accurately and submit your life to Him.
He is a gentle master with endless patience who will begin a good work in you that very moment, by sending His Spirit to mold you and make you new. It will give you wings like eagles. You will run and not grow weary. You will walk and not faint.
God bless.