In
the world of computers, when all else fails – you hit the restart
button, right? For whatever reason, the programmed brain of a
computer often sets itself aright by that one simple click. Or maybe
just a simple “refresh” will untangle all the multitasking and
put her back on the right track.
Back
to real life though, is anyone else tiring of hitting “restart”
over and over and over again? Is it possible to just hop on the
steady incline toward a life of consistency with only a few minor,
easily-surmountable bumps on the way? Can we all just stop getting
so excited for the clock to hit midnight on January 1st so
that FINALLY we can start a new way of living that will ensure a
consistently victorious life in 2015? A year is just too long to
have a mess-up in the middle of March.
Fortunately,
amid my longings to ease the battle and settle into spiritual
steadiness, I was met with a very familiar passage of Scripture. The
Lord gently reminded me that “renewal” is simply par for the
course on our spiritual journey and that HE would provide all the
strength, motivation, “wind under my wings”, needed to run, walk,
and fly unwearied. He would even give me that starter boost to
“mount up” on each new start. And the one simple requirement: to humbly, actively wait on the Lord.
Isaiah
40:28-31 (NKJV) is so precious to me:
Have
you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Our
compassionate Creator never forgets the day he formed us. Taking the
simplest substance, He created man and infused HIS breath, life, and
power into it. A few thousand years later, nothing has changed about
our feeble make-up OR the power needed to turn a bit of dust into
something, someone, that can fulfill our Creator's purpose for
our lives. We forget, we faint, we even utterly fall. Yet, His
promise of renewed power and spiritual vigor still stands for every
failure, every mess-up mid-March, every dejected spirit that longs
for stability and strength.
Don't
be discouraged if you find yourself needing to hit “restart” a
good handful of times this year. Our Good Shepherd is in the
business of restoring our souls (Psalm 23:3) and renewing our
strength (Isaiah 40:31)! May you embark 2015 “in the strength of
the Lord God” (Psalm 71:16)!
