This past week I believe that the following scripture became alive to me from Deut. 32:36 which reads: “The LORD will judge His people and have compassion on His servants when He sees their strength is gone and no-one is left, slave or free.” (NIV)
From roughly last week Wednesday, I have been battling a terrible head cold/flu which rendered me literally with no strength! Now, again, this could be the dreaded man flu as I am sure most ladies are thinking or laughing to themselves about but I assure you all I could do was sleep. With no strength for anything else!
By God’s grace, I am recovering now but this had me thinking about many of us around this time of year. Many of us might feel that at this time of year, we simply have nothing left to give for the remaining month or so. The end-of-the-year syndrome is real and whether, physically, spiritually or emotionally we might be running on literal fumes. Today’s newsletter I believe is from God to encourage all of us both you and me today.
Firstly, I believe our Great God and Perfect Father in Heaven reminds us through His word that He sees that our strength is gone and could be waning. He gets it. More so that He has compassion on us in our weakness. Isn’t that amazing? That He understands our weakness and our neediness towards Him. That the High King of the Universe knows our weakness better than we do.
Secondly, I believe the Holy Spirit wants to empower us as His children to see how we can renew our strength. He gives us an insight into how to do this through Isaiah 40:31, “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (NIV).
Now what does this mean? To hope in the Lord? One Theologian tells us that it is savouring God’s promises in the word by faith until the time that God brings it to fulfilment. And in doing so, to find an endless supply of fresh strength.
What this means is to simply trust our Father’s word that He has compassion on us. He sees our frailty and trusting in His promises to sustain us despite how the circumstances might appear.
Family, I am sure there are many times in all of our journeys with Jesus that we can look back and see how He carried us through situations or circumstances that we never thought we could make it through. This attitude of remembrance of God’s faithfulness is what can inspire our hearts moving forward to trust Him again.
So, hoping or waiting on the Lord can be looking back at all those situations that He sustained us through but also praising Him for all He has done and praising Him for who He is, as revealed through the word, despite how the present circumstances appear.
Lastly, hoping in the Lord is also talking to Him about the situation at hand. “Hoping or waiting on the Lord” is not static doing “nothing” as some of us might be thinking but it is actively engaging our Father in prayer.
Proverbs 3:6 states, “In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (NIV).
What this means is that in prayer we can submit all that we feel is on our hypothetical “plate” to Him and allow Him to choose as per what He feels we need to deal with.
Why I say this is because last week I lived it. I asked our Father to direct my path and direct my path He did. He took so much off my hands that I thought I had to deal with but yet giving me the strength and the time needed to do what He knew I needed to.
I encourage you today beloved of Jesus. Hope in the Lord so He can renew your strength. Ask His direction and guidance as to what you need to do. Praise Him for who He is and all He has done so you can live in light of His strength.
And let our Anthem become that of our brother Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (NIV).
Love in Jesus always,
Andrewđ