Today I borrowed this photo from a youth worker at our church. Let me explain why I found it to be so fitting.
It has not been an easy day physically, and in my life, physically painful days often coincide with exhaustion. I could blame it on age, I could blame it on an autoimmune disease, I don’t know that the source really matters, the fact is that I am tired and weak. Truth is, even kids get tired. We all have a physical breaking point. We are finite, we are human, and we can only handle so much.
Physically we know it’s true. Emotionally. Intellectually haven’t you found yourself at the point of exhaustion when you just cannot think any more, or take more information in. I remember days like that back in college, but much more recently on a study trip in Israel, even after careful preparation, there was just sooooo much information coming at me that I found my brain needed to rest and be renewed. How about spiritually? Yes. In every way.
I have a deep personal affection for this verse firstly because it was my mom’s favorite and I know it is a favorite of many mom’s. It’s very inspirational! In essence it is saying when you get to the end of YOU and you trust in the Lord, He can renew you, re-engergize you, and enable you to engage at another level.
Secondly, I have experienced that unknown and unexpected “gear” the Lord engaged for me when I needed it. For me, it has resulted in a depth of love and mercy I never could have manufactured. A stamina to care for and continue to function at a high level even when there is a lack of human energy. Those are purely God moments of provision and care and I am humbly grateful to have experienced.
Finally there is much more to gain from understanding this familiar passage than the simple inspiration it brings. We I pull the segments of this verse apart I see several points of application.
- We recognize our frailty and limitations and humble ourselves before God.
- Go to the Lord and ask for His renewed strength. Our strength will fail every time, His strength will never fail.
- Your result in trusting and waiting on the Lord is that you will soar high. Going up, up to the heavens where God is. Isn’t that awesome?! As you need Him you draw near and soar to where He is. It is just as though you had hopped on the back of an eagle and taken off for the heavens.
- When your strength has been renewed, THEN you can press on, start running toward the finish line that God has set for you.
All of it is active and volitional. Trust in the Lord, draw near to Him, and then run His race.