“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;“ Isaiah 40:29-30 ESV
Reflection: why does strength from God depend on our weakness?
We looked yesterday at how everything we experience in life, we measure against something else. And that it also includes our experience with and expectations of God. A simple test to check your own reference of God is to ask yourself “how big, how capable is God to me?” It is pretty easy for us to limit God, because of our own abilities and limitations.
So, let’s think about the following for a moment. Why did you come to the Lord in the first place? What made you give your life to Christ? What was it that drew you to Him? Most likely, your decision to surrender to Christ was rooted in the understanding and acknowledgment of your own sin and insufficiency, as Paul wrote “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23 ESV. Turning to Christ is our point of full surrender, admitting that we have sinned, that we need a Savior. And when you think about that moment, is very humbling, in a way. Because we admit we are at fault, weak and incapable in ourselves.
That is when we honestly and fully cry out to God to save us.
Save us from what? Really from ourselves, from our own sinfulness. And in such a surrender, such a cry of desperation, God does a miracle in us. A rebirth by the Spirit. A new creation in Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ. But, as a new creation of the Spirit, we still have this sinful flesh we battle with, as we learn how to “walk in the Spirit” with the Lord. And, it is in the Christian walk, that connect us to the passage from Isaiah for today, “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;“ Isaiah 40:29-30 ESV. And boy, do we feel weary from the spiritual battles, from time to time. So how do we get the strength from the Lord?
Let’s look at what happened to the believers of the church in Ephesus. ““To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” Revelation 2:1-5 ESV.
We see here the church had become one of “works”, not of faith. Notice what the Lord had against them, “you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first”. What he is saying is that they had become self-sufficient. The toiling and work was by themselves; in their own abilities, and not by God. So how could God supply them with anything; grace, strength, wisdom, guidance, etc, if they were already full of themselves? Paul also struggled at times with his own flesh, doing things by his own sufficiency;“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV.
And this is exactly the message from the Lord through Isaiah today “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for 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 40:28-31 ESV. To “wait” for the Lord does not mean to be idle or standing still. Not at all. It means to be expectant, to anticipate God’s presence. It is all in His strength we can fulfill His mission.
If you feel a bit weary these days, fighting spiritual battles on all fronts, perhaps it is time to (re)surrender to the Lord. To let Him renew your strength.
