Seeing Another Side of Grace 

The past few weeks have been significantly different for me. I’m a girl that does not do change well. Losing my best friend is definitely a change. I like my days ordered pretty much the same. Most people would call that boring. I call it easy. I like easy.  

Since September 22nd, big change has been my days.  I have been kind of hiding out, staying in most of the time, staying away from most social media and news, no noise or drama. I have been well insulated here, and I quite like it. I am attempting to adjust to the big change in my life on my own terms and in my own time. 

Emotional changes can cause a lot of stress. Our emotions touch every area of our lives. When we are distressed emotionally it can be taxing and can sap the strength right out of us.  For me, as a follower of Jesus, I have an avenue that some people do not have. I can go to my Heavenly Father, God, through my relationship with Jesus and lay my burdens at His feet. 

A friend sent me this verse today, Isaiah 40:31.  In reading it, I went back a few verses to get the full context of the verse.  In verse 28, Isaiah is questioning why the people there in Judah did not believe that God was what they needed. He was sort of like asking them, “Seriously people! How can you not have heard; how do you not know about the Lord our God?” 

(For a little background, in the previous 39 chapters he has been wearing them out because of their rebellion toward God. He told them they would go through some really hard things. Then beginning in chapter 40, he begins telling them that at the end of the hard things God would comfort them and strengthen them once again.)

Isaiah was reminding them that God is the One that created the earth, from beginning to end. If they would just go to Him there is nothing He cannot do. God does not get tired. He does not have to sit down and rest. He is always there for them. His wisdom and understanding of everything cannot be questioned.  He knows exactly what they need.  For those that are weak, He strengthens them; and for those that need a little extra help, He increases their strength. In the struggles of this life, even those who are young can become exhausted; and those who are young and strong can collapse from carrying too much.  

Then Isaiah told them for those that choose to wait on the Lord, He will refresh them and fortify them, and they would have 70 years to wait in a really hard place. He told them when they come to the end of that time, they will be able to put on the strength of eagles in flight, like when their wings carry them high in the sky. They will be able to run like a distance runner without becoming weary. They will walk without having to stop and rest. Although, personally, I don’t think God minds for you to rest when you are weary. How can He strengthen the weary if we are all busy pretending to not be weary? 

I see the challenge from this passage as spiritual, for me anyhow.  We say that we believe God is all powerful and controls everything, yet there are circumstances where our spirit becomes weary and causes us to begin doubting that God really can meet our needs. When those doubts sneak in, we can then begin to doubt His eternal plans and our part in those plans. That can be a big challenge to get through to the other side. 

How can we apply this scripture to our lives? When we are feeling confident and prideful in our own strength and leaning on our own wisdom, (trying to make the world believe we are A-OK, ) we need to remember that true strength comes from God alone. We don’t have to carry the A-OK on our own.  When we feel like we are drowning in despair and cannot find it in ourselves to move forward, we can call on the One who can renew our strength, build up our faith in Him and hold us up. 

What does this mean to my faith? My faith is strengthened when I realize that if I am, or should I say when I am, struggling or weak, I can seek my Lord and grasp onto my faith and hold on to it with all I have in me.  When I do this and depend on God’s power and might I can feel His strength filling me and I can feel the burdens I am trying to carry, alone, get so much lighter.

Lord, I am amazed when I look out at the world that You have created. I thank You for how You give me strength through the times when I am weary and ready to give up.   I praise You that You are my never ending source of strength.  You pick me up and You shoulder my burden until I can get back on my feet. Thank You for letting me see another side of Your grace. 

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 “²⁸ Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faints.”  Isaiah 40:29-31 (KJV)

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10 (KJV)

“And I will strengthen them in the Lord; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the Lord.” Zechariah 10:12 (KJV)

“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” Psalm 27:14 (KJV)

“And I will strengthen them in the Lord; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the Lord.” Zechariah 10:12 (KJV)

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I feel that since God has given me the gift of this platform, I must always tell you about my Jesus.  

What is your relationship to the all-knowing God of the universe?  Do you know Jesus? Do you know the peace that can come only from an intimate relationship with Him?  You can know Him.  Jesus Christ, God’s Son, born into human flesh, sinless, crucified and giving His life freely, buried, arisen on the third day, will come into your life and change the outcome of your eternity.  You just have to be willing to believe and accept His truth.  

Here is an excellent website that can give you additional information about making your decision for Jesus Christ!  PeaceWithGod.net

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