Strength to keep going

But those who trust in the LORD for help
will find their strength renewed.
They will rise on wings like eagles;
they will run and not get weary;
they will walk and not grow weak. (verse 31)

Read Isaiah 40:15-31

My wife and I rise at 6 am during the week. After a late night or if we’ve slept poorly, it can be a bit of a battle to get up. Judy is a teacher, and we often play out the joke where she says, like a whining child, ‘I don’t want to go to school today. Can’t I stay home?’ and I reply, ‘No. You have to go to school. You’re the teacher.’

We all have days where we’d rather stay home instead of going to work. We have the same reaction when we face a particular difficulty: caring for an elderly and ailing parent or a handicapped child, fighting an addiction or coping with depression.

We can all too easily begin to believe that God doesn’t care about us and our troubles. That’s when we need to hear what Isaiah says: when we trust in the Lord for help, we will find our strength renewed. Notice that God doesn’t promise to resolve all our problems. But he will give us the courage to continue to work at the boring tasks and to wrestle with the difficult situations.

Loving God, help me to trust your promise to be with me at all times, so that I can keep going patiently with my responsibilities and my challenges. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

by John Vitale, in ‘Refreshment for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2003)

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