Strength to Keep Going

There are times when I wish there was some kind of happy pill with no side effects. There are moments and seasons that just don't make sense and encouragement is hard to find. Today is Tuesday and small group is tomorrow evening. Most likely, I will not be able to make it again. My left knee has really been bothering me the entire day and pain pills do not take away the discomfort. My mood has been mostly down all day. I have not been out all of yesterday or today and the lack of sun exposure is starting to get to me. I need to find strength in the wilderness. Interestingly, the author opens up with the time of Isaiah.
"One of the great men of history is the prophet Isaiah. He ministered to his people at a time when the nation was suffering from decay within and invasion without. He saw the coming of the great Babylonian armies and knew that they would destroy Jerusalem, take his people captive, and leave the nation in ruin. But in the midst of all of this confusion and discouragement, Isaiah received a message from God. It was a message of hope and encouragement for his suffering people: "They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isa. 40:31 ). This is a promise for people who are ready to quit." (p. 90)
Every once in a while, when life gets especially difficult, the enemy puts forth an assault on my mind. Last night as I lay on the couch trying to sleep, a barrage of suicidal thoughts came into my mind. I did not have a plan, any methods, or intent, but I felt this total sense of hopelessness in my life. The difficulty is that I live with this complexity of wanting out but knowing that God would not aprove. I am perhaps at one of the most difficult moments thus far in my life. Imagine the time and place of Osaiah, when your nation is about to be taken over and left in ruins. Yet, the promise here is that those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. The author then examines this promise.

"First of all, God promises to help us fly. There are times in our lives when the only solution is to fly--to rise above the problems of life and soar over them. God wants to make eagles out of us, but sometimes we prefer to crawl like ants. What a tragedy! God is able to lift you above those difficult circumstances that have trapped you. This doesn't mean you ignore them or forget them; it means that you rise above them and get a heavenly perspective. The eagle is able to fly miles up in the sky--and when you do that, the things on earth start to look much smaller. Yes, my friend, God promises to make you fly." (p. 91).
I think in times of difficulty, having a heavenly perspective is key. We need to step outside of our situation. Years ago I applied to a particular graduate program and had received a rejection letter. For weeks I had been discouraged about the rejection to this program. Months later I applied to another program and was accepted. The program God got me into ended up being far better than the one I was rejected from. God always has something better than what we plan for ourselves. When we're in the discouragement, we lose the heavenly perspective.

"God not only promises to make us fly but He also promises to help us run. All of us know what it is to be weary. There are times when we just have to keep running, crisis hours when we simply cannot quit. Perhaps you work all day and then spend time visiting a loved one in a hospital or caring for a friend and then go back home to care for responsibilities there; and on it goes, day after day It is then that God promises to give us the strength to run and not be weary." (p. 91)
When we are in crisis mode then we feel like we have nothing left in the tank. God gives us that extra energy to make it through. Many of us in our last semester were not sure we would make it. It was like week three and I was like how am I going to finish. I cannot say that I did it alone, but it was the enabling of the Spirit that allowed me to finish strong. The third part of the text is that God helps us to walk. This is the daily moments. It is harder to walk in the daily moments than it is to run in the crisis. The crisis is short term, but the daily is moment by moment. The promise of God comes with a command. It is for those who wait on the Lord. This is the time of prayer and worship with God and spending time in His presence.
"That word renew in Isaiah 40:31 actually means "exchange." "They that wait upon the LORD shall exchange their strength .... " We exchange our strength for His strength. We hand in our little pocket batteries and plug into His dynamo! He has all the strength we need to keep going, and there is no reason for us to quit. If you are considering giving up, please take time to consider the promise in Isaiah 40:31. Wait before the Lord, and let Him quiet you down. Exchange your weakness for His strength and spend time before Him every day. You will be amazed at the changes that will take place. Instead of fainting, you will be flying--you will mount up with wings as the eagle; you will run and not be weary you will walk and not faint." (p. 93)
Prayer:
Father, You help us to fly, to rise above our difficulties and to see things with Your heavely perspective and have victory. You help us to run with enduring strength in the short term and walk with enduring strength in the day to day difficulties. The promise is that we renew our strength. We exchange our weakness for Your strength. Father, these past few days I feel incredibly weak and am in great need to exchange my weakness for Your strength. So, I look to You, look to Your word, worship You for You are God, even God over my difficulties.