By David ReayFriday 18 Oct 2013LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
Read Isaiah 40:28-31
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
30 Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
31 but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint. (NRSV)
Many people complain that they are tired. They do too much,they are preoccupied by too many challenges,they don’t get enough sleep,they feel run down. In some cases,the remedy is simple (if not easy). Take a holiday,do more exercise,eat better,try to cultivate better sleeping patterns. Such remedies can overcome tiredness.
But fatigue is a different matter. Fatigue is a deeper weariness. Going away for a few days doesn’t cure it. You just come back to your normal routine as weary as ever. Fatigue stems not just from being too busy or not getting enough sleep. It arises from a deeper malaise,a discouragement with life and an at least partial loss of hope.
The remedy here has to go deeper. And our text reminds us that we need to wait on the Lord,that is,trust in him and rest in him. A bit more sleep,or a pleasant holiday,doesn’t overcome the weary fatigue we might feel. For that we need hope,trust,empowerment. And all that stems from our God.
We can’t avoid getting tired. We can avoid that deeper weariness by flinging ourselves on the God who energises us with hope and strength. Madly flapping our wings to keep going is no substitute for clinging to the eagle wings of our ever-refreshing God.
Blessings
David Reay