Good morning,
Finding new strength
One of the benefits that comes with growing up in a contractors house is being able to work with your dad on his projects. One of the jobs I always looked forward to, as a growing teen, was carrying the roofing shingles from the delivery truck up to the roof of the house for the carpenters to nail down. When properly done, those shingles protected the whole house from the rain and the winds. Now as a senior citizen, I have been introduced to a new meaning for the word shingles. As a small child I had chickenpox and have now learned that it can come back with a vengeance as a painful nerve problem in and on your skin. So for the last two weeks I have had the privilege of learning how to deal with intense pain on the left side of my head. Thankfully my doctor was able to begin the process of dealing with the disease quickly, but the pain issues and the weakness issues have kept me sleeping and not thinking clearly ever since.
This all brings up a new perspective on what the Lord is up to in our lives right now. Just before this happened Marty and I had decided we needed a break. God stepped in and has given us a break of sorts, but with a lot of complexity. Since pain is a given, I have had to wonder what the Lord is up to. The Lord reminded me of Isaiah 40:27 that starts, O Jacob, how can you say the LORD does not see your troubles? Then the next verse goes on to say, The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. God is always up to something good, even if the lesson or break has a pain element to it. When God gives us a challenge, he also reminds us that He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.(v.29) I sure feel weak and powerless at this point, but it is wonderful that when asked, our Lord is willing to give us what we can’t have in our own strength. He then makes the point that even if we are young and strong we can be overwhelmed by our circumstances.(v.30) Finally the Lord gives us the secret of being able to go on no matter our age or stage. He tells us, 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.(v.31) God wants us to be examples of what God does for his kids when he weakens us so that because of our faith in him, he is able to give us his strength in the way it is needed to soar, or run or walk according to his personal plan for each one of us. May the Lord help each of us who are challenged by pain or weakness to turn to him for what we need. I thank God for doctors, but I thank God even more for his part in the course of each of our lives.
Isaiah 40:31 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.
Roy Wisner
