They that Wait (Hope and Trust) in the Lord Shall Renew Their Strength

I don't know about anyone else but this year, make that years, have been hard.

I know that I am not isolated in this as much as I wish that were the case.  I wish that everyone else was missing the hardships and trials that life seemed intent to bring to our doorsteps.  Is this is a gift we can return?  I could sit here wishing away all the world's troubles but that will never do anything but cause me more despair.

Instead, today I write in the midst of my "going through" as a way to encourage myself and perhaps you too.  I called upon the Lord in my weakness and he answered me. I prayed earnestly for strength and He answered me.  Now, the answer may surprise you, as it certainly did me.  His answer was not the supernatural injection of "PowerAde"; it was not the taking away of the problems in my life; it was a word - make that two words to be exact.

Hope. Wait.  

Hope was easy to swallow.  Hope was so positive. It was hopeful and gave me added reason to get up in the morning.  I felt like the break through would be my testimony after just a few more sleeps. I was hopeful that the mourning period was on a timeline that had an expected end.  Joy was in the morning!

Hope. Hope. Hope.  Hope in the Lord.  Why be downcast oh my soul?  Hope is alive and springs eternal!  The diet of tears was going to be quickly replaced with laughter and joy.  When they ask where is your God?  I will simply say my hope is in God.  Tada!!!!  The Grande finale achieved.  Yet, it didn't or rather hasn't exactly happened like that.

Wait.  This word came after the calendar pages flipped over and the expected end was not yet mine. I knew that he was directing me to the prophetic words of Isaiah that says strength is given to those who wait on the Lord.  Wait and be powered up.  Wait and be renewed.  Wait and again I say wait on the Lord.

My heart meditated on these words.  I went to bed saying them and woke up with them.  Wait on the Lord, you shall renew your strength.  Wait I say.  They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.  I couldn't shake it and I suppose I was not really trying to do so.  I wanted that promised strength.  No.  Let me amend that; I need that promised strength.

So here I am - Hoping and Waiting.  Here I am being encouraged with prayer and song as God sends me winks of reminders.  It has been a verse repeated, or a song sang by a friend.  Strength is from God.  I have no might and am quite powerless in my own abilities.  However, in my weakness and in yours, His strength is made perfect.  Hope.  Wait.  We will not be disappointed.

Come to Me ...and I will give you rest

 Come to Me.

This is an open invitation to all of us - all who believe that God is God; all who are weary and heavy laden; all who are so tired of being tired; all who live and breathe are invited to COME.  

These days, we don't have many invitations that are open.  In this era of social distancing and pandemic hysteria we have more cancellations than anything else.  No-one really wants to have company over for fear of finding themselves having an unwanted guest trying to move in permanently - that dreaded virus and his friends.

However, Jesus, when he extended that invitation in Matthew 11:28 is not cancelling on us.  His door remains open and His arms are strong enough to hold you up.  Come.  That word is also a command.  It really does require a response.  You and I need to decide if we will move towards Him.  To move from our place of unrest into Him that is our rest.

To Me.  I love that Jesus was not sending us to anyone else.  He offers Himself as the source that is unlimited.  He is the very thing we need - REST.  He says "I will give you rest"  and we can trust Him to do just that for us.  

We can echo David, as he wrote My soul finds rest in God alone, my salvation is from Him..  He alone is my rock and my salvation.  I will never be shaken.  (Psalm 62 - paraphrased).

So, say yes to the invitation.  He will give you rest.

2021 STARTING POINT: WHAT IS YOUR INTENTION?

What is your intention for 2021?  No, not a new year's resolution that we make with no "intention" of keeping.  Be honest with yourself if not me today.  You know the ones we make every year and we never actually follow through with them - lose weight, read the bible cover to cover, be more intentional in building relationship with so and so.  Shall I go on?  Instead of rewording the same list from the year before, I am asking you to dig deeper and to pray harder. 

This week, the golden text for devotion was based on Proverbs 17:3 which says "the refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord test the heart".  

As I thought about this verse I realize that God, through his refiner's fire, intends to draw out the impurities in our lives.  He stands at the mouth of the furnace, as Spurgeon says, and carefully tends to us, skimming away the dross. He intends for us to be like pure gold that can only be achieved through heated flames.  The hotter the fire, the purer the gold.  

You may ask, what does this have to do with "my intentions"?  In the midst of trials and testing we may be tempted to give up.  We don't like to experience hardships or to endure anything that will stretch us to the limit.  However, as we set our intentions out before the Lord, who directs our paths, we know that there will be testing.  We do not want to deceive ourselves into thinking other wise.  The encouragement is to understand that God is the one testing and God is the one that is helping us to pass the test.  Hallelujah! 

Job says after he has tested me I will come forth as pure gold (Job 23).  After we have suffered for a little while, the God of grace...will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. (1 Peter 5:10, NASB).  It's the Lord.  Your intentions are known to Him as He knows your heart and He is faithful to help you.  As we are tested and refined, what happens is that our intentions become what His intentions were for us all along.  Somewhere along the line we become aligned to Him and can truly say Not my will but thy will be done in and through me.

So, get out the pen pencil and whatever paper you can.  Ask God to test your heart and reveal to you His intentions for you in 2021.