Isaiah 40:31 - Eagle Christians Wait Upon God: Examples and Added Counsel.
Isaiah 40:31 - Eagle Christians Wait Upon God: Examples and
Added Counsel.
Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV) 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.
Isaiah 40:31 (TEV) But those who trust in the LORD for help
will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like
eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow
weak.
Isaiah 40:31 (NLT) But those who trust in the Lord will find new
strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not
grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31 (CWR) But those who wait on the Lord and go to Him
for help will have their strength renewed. They will soar like
eagles. They will run and not be weary. They will walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31 (MSG) But those who wait upon God get fresh
strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don't
get tired, they walk and don't lag behind.
EXAMPLES AND ILLUSTRATIONS
Walk. Run. SOAR.
I was thirty years old, six months pregnant, and in the
hospital recovering from an appendectomy when I read Isaiah 40:31 on a
menu that came with my meal tray. I knew God had sent it directly to
me. The pregnancy had been difficult, requiring monthly injections
and limited activity. Now I couldn't even turn over in bed without
the baby sliding under my four-inch incision and giving a painful
kick. As I reread the verse, I wondered how long I would have to
"wait" before I could "walk and not faint," much less "run and not grow
weary."
A year and a half earlier I had experienced a miscarriage. Two
years before that, my three-month-old son, Travis, had died
unexpectedly, due to congenital heart disease. I ached for renewed
strength--both physically and emotionally.
Three months after my appendectomy, as I held my new baby in
my arms, kissed his tiny face, and promised to love him forever, I
knew that this little boy with Down syndrome was going to have an
uphill journey most of his life. What I didn't know was how steep that
climb would be for me. I don't know how many times in these last
thirty years I have claimed Isaiah 40:31, praying and pleading for God
to renew my strength, to let me soar like the eagles, and to allow
my little boy to walk and run. God remains faithful to his Word.
Louise Tucker Jones, inspirational speaker, award-winning
author of the novel Dance from the Heart, and coauthor of Extraordinary
Kids, lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, with her husband, Carl, and son, Jay,
the youngest of their four children. [The One Year Bible Live Verse
Devotional re Isa. 40:31]
Invisible Wings
I am an ordinary person used by an amazing God. Nine years ago
I was diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and had to
give up work permanently. My church life and social life became
nonexistent. For months I could only lie or sit back, cared for by my saintly
church family. There I was, in my mid-fifties, convinced that a useful
life was over for me. In their desire to keep me from unrealistic
expectations, the doctors led me to believe that I would remain an invalid all
my days. But ever so gradually, right around the time I found this
verse, a little strength began to return. I longed to walk, run, and
soar, but I considered myself lucky the day I made it down to the end
of the road.
Then I started to write (I now know it was with God's help).
The more my strength returned, the more I wrote. Far from being
someone whose life is over, I am now the author of two books, which have
sold all around the world, and I am working on a third. It's true
that physically I cannot run or fly, but spiritually I cannot be held
back. I am able to walk and to write, and I have a surprising new
purpose in life.
I trust in the Lord, my strength has been renewed, and I soar
on wings like an eagle's. Praise be to God.
Carol Purves, author of From Prussia with Love and Chinese
Whispers: The Gladys Aylward Story, is a member of the Association of
Christian Writers and the Society of Authors. [The One Year Bible Live
Verse Devotional re Isa. 40:31]
Soaring High
Each year between Christmas and the end of February, my
hometown of Alton, Illinois, is host to the largest concentration of
American bald eagles outside of Alaska. In 1972, when I launched Eagle
Forum, the national volunteer organization dedicated to leading the
pro-family movement, many people assumed our name was inspired by that
migratory destination of our majestic national bird. But it's much more
than that.
When I founded Eagle Forum, I was well aware it would take
more than human strength to do battle with the radical feminists,
abortion advocates, and opponents of a strong national defense. Trusting
the Lord for guidance, I chose Isaiah 40:31 as a theme verse for our
important work. I still include that verse on virtually every significant
piece of Eagle Forum literature and think of those words each morning
when I choose a pin for my lapel from my eagle-pin collection.
Yes, the battle is all-consuming, but I have not grown weary.
Our work has expanded to include helping preserve the sanctity of
marriage, battle pornography, reduce illiteracy, promote chastity, and
protect the right to display the Ten Commandments in public places.
Through it all, the Lord continues to provide much-needed new strength
for those who are faithful to our mission. As I look back-- and
toward the future--I am humbled and ever grateful that God has blessed
this work, allowing me to walk, run, and even soar beyond my wildest
expectations.
Phyllis Schlafly, wife, mother, and grandmother, is the
founder and president of Eagle Forum. A constitutional lawyer,
syndicated columnist, and radio commentator, she is the author of twenty
books, including The Power of the Christian Woman, Feminist Fantasies,
Who Will Rock the Cradle? and The Supremacists. [The One Year Bible
Live Verse Devotional re Isa. 40:31]
ADDITIONAL COUNSEL
How Do I Deal With Burnout?
Burnout. The very expression seems to make us sigh, doesn't
it? In this fast-paced, overworked world, most of us have felt the
tiring numbness of burnout. How should a believer in Christ respond to
these feelings?
1. Surrender. You may think this means to throw up your hands
and cry, "I give up!" but that is not what we must do. Rather, we
should surrender everything we have to the Lord. His hands are large
enough to hold anything we need Him to handle. Remember what God says:
"I have made the earth, and created man on it. I--My hands--stretched
out the heavens, and all their host I have commanded" (Is. 45:12).
When we try to keep everything in our puny hands, we will eventually
start dropping it all.
2. Depend on Him. Have you ever relinquished a concern to the
Lord, only to find yourself trying to pull it back out of His hand? We
tend to want to fix things ourselves. The truth is, however, that
only God has both the power and perspective to bring all matters to
their proper conclusion (Rom. 11:33-36). When we try to take things
back from Him, we only interfere with the solution He wants to bring
about.
3. Trust Him. Do not overlook this vital point: God loves you!
Because of His great love, God wants to take care of you--and that means
He wants to handle all of your worries (Matt. 6:25-34).
God does not want you to run yourself into exhaustion, even by
doing "good deeds" or "church work." Instead, He desires that you
rejoice in His rest (Matt. 11:29, 30). You may have reached the end of
your rope, but God never will: "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" (Is.
40:28-31).
Are you burning out? If so, return to the Flame and be
rekindled today. [Life Principles SB By Charles Stanley re Isa. 40:28-31]
New Strength
At times you may feel so worn out and stressed that you are
not sure you can take another step. You may seem to spend all your
time running from crisis to crisis and to be constantly giving your
time and energy to others. Your Lord wants to renew your strength and
enable you to enjoy the abundant life He intends for you. The key is to
wait upon Him to do so.
Our generation does not enjoy waiting. We are harried by all
the commitments we have made and the many responsibilities we hold.
We rush through our lives without stopping to evaluate our
activities. Sometimes in our haste to get on with our work, we race ahead of
God. Part of God's restorative process is to slow us down and make us
listen to Him. As we wait on Him, God will remind us of our utter
dependence upon His strength. When we slow down and seek His will, He will
reveal His plans.
Biblically, waiting on the Lord is never passive; it is always
active. Waiting requires us to cease our own pursuits and give God our
complete attention. We may have to give up some of the activities we have
allowed to inundate our lives. We may need to take an entire day to sit
quietly before the Lord. If we ask Him, God will show us the resources
He has provided to help with the work we have been attempting on
our own. God may address feelings of guilt that have motivated us to
do things that He has not asked us to do.
Jesus carried more responsibility than you do. More people
needed Him than will ever need you. Yet He was never overwhelmed or
inadequate for the task. Now Christ offers to guide you so that you will
fulfill your heavenly Father's will and gain the strength necessary for
each day (Mt 11:28). [Experiencing God Day by Day by Henry and
Richard Blackaby re Isa. 40:31]
Grace Notes:
http://www.e-gracenotes.org/index.php
A Better Way to Live:
http://www.itiswritten.com/betterway/
Excellent Spiritual Resource Site:
http://www.christianlifemediacenter.com/
More Spiritual Resources:
http://www.aBible.com
