The following is from Doug Hood's newest book,
Nurture Faith: Five Minute Meditations to Strengthen Your Walk with Christ
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength;
they will
fly up on wings like eagles;
they will run and not be tired; they will walk and
not be weary.”
A woman stepped into my office
today. With tears and considerable emotion, she asked that I pray for the
world. She mentioned nothing specific. She didn’t need to. Another shooting
this week on a college campus that left ten people dead. An accidental bombing
of a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan killed twenty-two people.
Hundreds of thousands of people fleeing terrorism, seeking news homes
throughout Europe and the United States. These stories drain our strength and
cause us to need renewed power.
In the time that Isaiah wrote
these words, his people also faced despair. Threatened by domination by a
mighty foreign power, Isaiah’s people needed all the encouragement and strength
that a genuine faith in God could bring. So do we. Just as the natural rhythm
of life demands nourishing food, exercise and rest for the body, the same
condition applies to our souls. Spiritual energies are rapidly depleted by the
crises, suffering and fear that consume our attention. Replenishing that spiritual
energy is urgently needed. So Isaiah reminds his people – and us – that our
sufficiency is of God. We remain weak unless we derive strength from God.
How do God’s people claim this
strength? “Hope in the Lord,” writes
Isaiah. The “hope” Isaiah speaks of is not wishful thinking or “hoping for the
best.” Here is Isaiah’s call to “trust unfailingly in God.” It is a call to
“hold onto God” with expectant dependence. A constant reliance on God,
meditating on God’s words and promises in the Bible, generates spiritual power
and makes each of us alert for God’s intention to use us mightily for God’s
redemptive purposes in the world. Isaiah asks that we attach ourselves to God
as a child clings to a parent.
As in the day of Isaiah, it still
takes time to be holy; to be a people set apart for God’s purposes in a world
shaken by fear. Schedule time each day for reading the Bible and prayer, for
reading devotional literature that awakens the senses to new understandings,
and do not neglect moments to simply be still and contemplate God’s love. These
things, along with weekly worship in a community of faith, gives release to the
inflow of God’s power that renews strength, restores hope, and lifts hearts as
on the wings of eagles.
Joy,
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