“Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But 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.”
Isaiah 40:28-31
“But 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...”
Challenge and hardship, pain and sorrow, Isaiah, the prophet of the living God, commended to the spiritual guidance of the nation of Judah, had seen it all. The worst of their idolatry, the most terrible of their bitter iniquity, the horrible nature of their sinful ways, they all played out before his eyes as he was perhaps left to wonder how a small light such as himself could illuminate such a dark world. There had to be moments where it just all seemed so overwhelming, where he just had to feel like it was too much for him to handle, too much for him to bear in the trials and the turmoil of that grim age that stood there before him...
How could he not grow weary? How could he not grow faint in all that he saw and heard and felt, as the Word of the Lord seemed to fall on such deaf ears?
“But 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...”
His life would be given over to the solid profession of faith. Here he would speak not only of the Lord’s judgment and wrath against the wicked and the unrighteous, but of the love and the mercy that He would show unto even the most sinful and unclean as he told of the coming of the Messiah, that blessed Savior who would be sent by the Most High to break the chains and free humanity from the dark ties to sin, death and the Devil. Yet, for all that he would offer, for all the hope that He would bring it would still not be enough to save his own life when the moment of his temporal fate was decided and the course of his life was drawn to a halt by those around him.
He would be sawed in two, his body broken, his life drained from him, with nothing more that he could offer unto those people whom he had loved so dearly and sacrificed so much for...
“But 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...”
There had to be something in Isaiah that knew that his life would not meet the peaceful end of a journey now spent. He had to know there would be no bed waiting for him at the end of his life that he could just rest in and find that he would slowly fall into the deep slumber of eternal rest only to wake amidst the wondrous glory of God’s Kingdom. He had to know there would be no happy endings for him amidst this temporal plane as he watched the depth in which the people would sink to, knowing that there was little value they placed on life anymore, knowing there was little value they placed on His life or even their God’s life anymore....
Yet, whatever the price, whatever the cost, whatever it would bring into his life, he would gain his strength from the hand of his God and he know that it would be enough to carry him through, whatever life might have brought.
“But 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...”
There are times when we see the world around us has been set ablaze, there are times when it seems as if there is just too much sin and iniquity, when it seems like unrighteousness seems to triumph while the good and the innocent and the weak, with no thought or consideration to who they are, are broken as this world tramples them. It tears us apart, leaving us in pieces as we find that it is just too much to bear. We wonder about this corporeal plane, about what we are doing in it as we wonder where God can be amidst all of this.
It’s not hard, at times such as those, to grow faint and to grow weary, to find that the strength is drained from us as captivity and bondage seem so near at hand. We see the suffering that is brought on in the lives of others and we are so desperate to do something about it, we want to bring an end to it, but it just seems like it is too much as slavery and persecution is perpetrated in the harshest of ways, bringing untold anguish and agony to the hearts and the souls, the spirits and the minds of the people.
Yet there is a promise from the Lord our God, and, amidst that promise, as with all things that He speaks unto us in the truth and the love that comes from the blessings of His word. It is a wondrous assurance that has carried forward generations of saints and apostles, disciples and prophets and martyrs through the course of history. It is the promise that when we stand faithful to Him in the compassion and the mercy that we show to others, contending with the cause of His righteousness in the lives of the people, even when the odds are against us and everything seems so overwhelming, threatening to overtake us, He shall give us strength, never letting this world encompass us or swallow us.
“But 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...”
Stand firm then for your faith and for the cause of those in need, those held amidst the bitter estate of this world, whatever the challenge, whatever the cost may be, listening for the voice of God to break through the darkness and carry You in His truth. When you do you shall know that, come what may, come what must, you shall have the strength to carry on even in those moments of difficulty and challenge when the world seems so dark and full of challenges. He shall renew you in the blessed hope of His sacred trust that weariness shall not come upon you and you shall never grow faint.
Then shall you have the capacity to do more than you had ever thought possible as His love and truth, His grace and compassion, His mercy and His wisdom carries you forward to places you had never thought possible to bring wondrous blessings forward in the lives of others as they find themselves longing for some form of comfort and peace, some form of rest and solace that had, for so long, eluded them, as the Spirit leads them in the love of Christ to the better places of the soul as God mends their hearts and binds up their wounds.
What a true and wondrous blessing that is in the lives of His people...
What a true and wondrous blessing that is to be used for by the hand of our Heavenly Father in this world...
Lord, grant this blessing unto us all...
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen...
First Prayer:
Upon Your wings mount Your children O Lord... uplift them, strengthen them, carry them forward amidst the deeper blessings of Your love and compassion as You offer unto them the wonders of Your assurances, standing faithful to the promises You have made even since the most ancient of days.
There are those who grow weary... held in bitter bondage and brutal captivity, their spirits broken, their lives held in the grip of wicked and unrighteous men there are those who grow weary amidst this world...
There are those who grow faint... persecuted and oppressed, their hearts wounded, their days numbered as trial and adversity come so near at hand , there are those who grow faint amidst this temporal existence...
They cannot run, they cannot walk O Lord, for the moment of their anguish is upon them as sorrow is heaped heavily upon them and they are chained in hurt and suffering. Unto them raise Your face, looking upon them with Your eyes to see the plight and the struggle they are forced to endure and give unto them the richest blessings of Your love and mercy that they may find strength in these days of darkness that seek so to devour them as sinful transgressions are perpetrated against them.
Let them not fall by the sword or be torn apart by the wolves and the lions who roar, let them not find that the strength of the unrighteous and the wicked are too much for them to bear, but give them hope and courage to stand fast in all that they face that they may persevere in all things, through all things. Then, in Your time, set them free amidst the promises of Your blessings for their lives as You raise Your Holy hand to shelter them and to guide them from the tumultuous sea’s to the safe shores of Your love and Your mercy.
Then shall all know that there is a living God, ever faithful to His Word, forever contending with the cause of His children as His grace leads them to the green pastures of His hope as He carries them forward through all of the challenges of this world, and all praise shall be lifted to Your Holy name.
In the name of Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You in the Kingdom, one God, world without end, Amen.
Second Prayer:
Lift high and loud Your voice O Lord and proclaim upon Your children that deeper message of freedom and liberty...
Lift high and firm Your hand O Lord and carry forth Your children from the dark places that would so ensnare them amidst bondage and captivity...
Lift high and faithfully the blessings of Your promises O Lord and show forth forever more that there is a living God to at work, contending with the cause of His children...
Amidst all of the bondage and captivity, find those who are held, find those who have been ripped away from their homes and from their families, and see their faces. Amidst all slavery and hatred, find those who long for justice and bring it, by Your Holy hand, to bear in their lives. Amidst all destitution and persecution, all oppression and tyranny extend Yourself that hope, that blessed hope that can only come by You and through You shall find itself in the lives of Your people.
Set to flight the dark clouds that would seek to overtake Your people, and, in Your time free them from all that would threaten to overtake the, Ransom them from their grim estate that they may be taken from the house of iniquity to rest amidst the blessings of Your love and compassion as Your truth and grace comes to bear in their lives. Remove from them the exile that has so overtaken them and, in Your time, in Your way, carry them from the hidden and lost places that now so overwhelm them and restore unto their lives all hope in the compassion You have promised unto Your people.
Then shall the promises of Your Word give all courage and strength in all that they are and all that they face as they see the faithfulness of Your love in the lives of Your people.
In the name of Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You in the Kingdom, one God, world without end, Amen.
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