No More Giving Up
I CAN'T EVEN!
How many times have you felt like you just don't have the energy to [fill in the blank]? Maybe your 'I can't even' moment looks like one of these...
your children are fighting with each other for the ump-teenth time today
working through the drama that is the teenage attitude
your boss just gave you another project that was someone else's responsibility
a health issue you though was resolved started up again
your bills keep going up and your pay check isn't
the dog just got mud on your favorite shirt
the thing you've been praying for still hasn't happened
the car won't start on a day you're running late
the school called about a problem with your child
you looked at social media...ever
Maybe one or more of those scenarios resonated with you. Maybe you have a list of a whole lot more. Either way, we both know that life can be overwhelming at times. Hey, it can be down right exasperating.
So what do we do in those moments? The moments when there seems to be no more options, and we've run out of our ability and desire to change things for the better.
HE CAN, EVER!
The prophet Isaiah had a pretty good idea of what we should do, and he tells us about it in his book,
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40: 28-31)
I love these verses! And so should you. They give us an accurate picture of what we've been doing wrong all these years. Instead of trusting in ourselves or relying on our own strength, we should have been trusting God.
Verse 28 reminds us that God is everlasting. He's the Creator of the entire universe. And even after he was done creating everything we see, he wasn't tired. Not even a little. He also understands everything. More than we can ever fathom. That's the God of heaven. That's our heavenly Father. He's the one who loved us enough to sacrifice his only Son so that we could be reconciled to him.
That's a pretty awesome God. He's not limited in his power or ability to help those who are weak. He can give strength and power to those who need it. Better yet he does. But how?
WE CAN, NOW
Isaiah states that those who "hope in the Lord" are the ones who will receive new strength. This is not just some whimsical desire for wishes to come true or for things to go our way. Just the opposite. We are still required to run the race and do the works that God has called us to do. But, instead of trusting ourselves and relying on our own strength to do them, we put our full hope in God. This is a confident expectation in the God that Isaiah just described to us as the powerful, unsearchable, creator of heaven and earth.
It's waking up and believing that your best and only option is to trust God to use what little you have to offer. Time, resources, and strength, however little you have, can be used by God. And the best part is that he will give you more. He will renew that strength, time, or resource. Maybe not in the way you are expecting, but in a way that will give you even more of what you need to press on.
We need to put our hope in the right place. Will you join me in doing that right now?
Let’s pray.
God, I confess to you that I am weak. I need you to renew the strength in me to do what you have purposed for me to do. Help me to put my hope in you - the eternal God - not in things that are temporary. Also, help me to keep the long game in view. I know that this journey I am on may take some time, so help me to walk with you in the present, and trust you with both my past and my future. In Jesus name, Amen.