Day 30 – Renewed Strength

Deborah Cook

Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even the youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 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. Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV)

In this passage, God tells us that by hoping in the Lord our strength will be renewed.  Hoping involves waiting, and I don’t know about you, but waiting is not one of my strengths.  So many times my strength is far too weak, my patience too short, and my understanding of God’s love for me too small.  We serve such an enormously powerful God.  One who never experiences exhaustion or frustration, and has limitless strength and power.  He is never too busy to listen to our prayers or too tired to help us in all our troubles.  Knowing this should create a hope that sends us soaring above all of our problems and fears, and gives us the strength to run this race called “life” without getting weary, because His strength becomes our source of strength.

{Thank you God, that you are a God who is above all gods.  Though You created the universe and all that’s in it, You take the time to know me.  You know me even better than I know myself and love me in spite of all my faults and failures.  Through knowing You, I become a better, stronger person than I could ever be on my own.  Help me to draw from Your strength and seek to serve You with all my might until the race is done and I cross the finish line.  In Jesus’ name, amen.} 

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Day 7 – My Strength Forever

Pam Sergent

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.   Psalm 73:26 (NIV)

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved the poem “Footprints in the Sand.”  The author tells the story of man who had a dream that he was walking on the beach with the Lord.  As his life flashed before him, the two sets of footprints showed in the sand.  But during times of trial and suffering, only one set of footprints were seen.   Then the Lord proclaims that is when he carried the man.

What a great reminder of God’s love for us.  Too many times we only turn to God when our circumstances are bleak; when we don’t know what else to do.  We pray that God will carry us through.  We cry out to him in desperation.  Our prayers become a laundry list of what we want God to do for us.  However, we tend to only look up when we are at our lowest.  How often do we find our prayer time multiplies when we are crying out in need, but completely diminishes when life seems good.  Our life experiences should not define our relationship with God.  As the poet so beautifully illustrates, God is with us always. He is our strength forever, in good times and bad.  He wants us to lean on him for all things.  To know him and grow in him, we must spend time with him.

I envision this same walk on the beach, however, the Lord is not walking casually beside me, but with an arm wrapped around me, supporting and guiding me.  Though I may fail, God will never fail me.

{Dear Lord, thank you for your strength and unconditional love.  I pray I will look to you and lean on you for my strength.  I will seek you in my daily walk, in good times and bad.  Thank you that even when I fail, you never do.  You are forever with me and I am forever yours.}

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