When life feels hopeless and we face problems that seem insurmountable, it’s easy to doubt God’s presence and care. But there is a better way – a path that leads to true strength and renewal. If we will look up from our struggles and wait for the Lord, depending on his strength rather than our own, we will discover a power within us that can soar above hardship, run forward with renewed purpose and walk steadfastly even when we feel like giving up.
This is the paradoxical promise of God’s grace.
- Our complaint – We often complain to God when life is hard. We feel like “God, where are you? Don’t you see me? Don’t you care?” The world is hard and it’s easy to start doubting God’s presence.
- God’s reminder – God reminds us of who he is: the Everlasting God, the Creator, who does not faint or grow weary and has unsearchable wisdom. This reminder counters our doubts.
- God’s gift – God gives power to the weak and strength to the weary. He gives of himself, showing his grace.
- Waiting for the Lord – The way we access God’s strength is by waiting for him, trusting and hoping in him. This brings a renewal of strength – not just an increase, but a whole new strength that comes from God.
- Renewed strength – Those who wait for the Lord will have the ability to soar, run and walk – demonstrating God’s strength at work. Sometimes the greatest mark of faith is just keeping walking, plodding on with God’s grace.
As children of the Most High God, we are heirs to a power greater than any problem we will ever face. Will you abandon your own strength in favor of his? Will you wait for the Lord, trusting that he will give you renewed strength for today’s journey? For it is within our weakness that his power is made perfect. The next steps you take in life may feel like plodding or running, soaring or stumbling – but when your steps are ordered by the Lord and empowered by his Spirit, you have all you need to keep moving forward until he completes the good work he has begun in you.
Look up from your struggles to the one who walks with you, speak his name in the midst of your doubts, and let his grace transform your weary steps into a life well lived.