A letter from Anthony...
“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... Even 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
In my youth I used to really enjoy riding my bicycle long distances. In comparison to others I don’t think I was ever particularly fit or talented in this area, but before I had my licence cycling was something that I really enjoyed doing. And so, when Tamara and I moved to Sydney to go to Bible College, I thought it would be the time to get back into cycling.
I purchased a bike and decided to join some very fit cyclists for a ride. I figured I used to be able to ride all day long without getting tired or feeling it the next day – so why would that have changed? I didn’t feel any older or less capable on the inside. And so, I got up early and set out for a quick 30 kilometre ride on various bicycle tracks with these cyclists.
For a fair while I managed to keep up without too much trouble. Of course, the first leg of the journey was all downhill, so it was on the way back I really began to struggle. But being the kind of person that I am, I wasn’t going to let my companions know how much I was struggling. I kept pushing myself harder and harder to keep up, and eventually made it home without slowing them up all that much. But as I walked through the door of our house, the trauma that I had just put my body through became really evident as a sudden wave of exhaustion and sickness like I had never experienced before came over me.
There are times when we all feel as though life is an uphill struggle. Times when we experience physical, spiritual, or emotional tiredness. But although being tired and the frailty of our human bodies can make us feel weak, it is our forgetfulness about where our true strength is found that highlights our real weakness. As Isaiah 40:31 says “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.”
Are you feeling tired, burdened, or overwhelmed this week? If so, I encourage you to spend time in God’s presence – away from all of the distractions that constantly compete for our attention – and have your strength renewed by the Lord.
Are you feeling energetic, life is going well and things are good? Then keep returning to spend time in God’s presence – so that your strength may continue to be renewed by the Lord.
For those who hope in the Lord, who trust in the strength of His death and resurrection for our forgiveness to cover our weaknesses, will find rest and renewal in Him.
In Christ, Anthony
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