“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 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 faint.”
Isaiah 40:28-31
It had been a very long time since we had been on any kind of vacation, let alone a family one. Our oldest daughter and her husband had moved from California to Missouri creating this family vacation opportunity. To save money we decided to drive the twenty-seven or so hours from California to Missouri and saw a good part of our beautiful nation in the process. The wonderful four day stay was followed by another long drive home. The drive was exhausting, but the trip was worth it.
Life is a journey not unlike a cross country road trip. It can be long and exhausting; there might be detours along the way. I have a couple of friends dealing with cancer right now, that is not only a detour but one that is difficult and tiring to navigate. Some friends and I are looking for work - another long and tiring stretch of the journey. Maybe you are growing weary of the journey as well. The people of Israel and Judah had certainly grown weary of the journey - they had been disobedient to their God and when they failed to heed the prophet’s warning God had acted. Today’s passage comes from a message of encouragement Isaiah carried to the people.
The most important words in the passage are “But those who hope in the Lord…” Those who hope in the Lord will find strength for the battle they face. Those who hope in the Lord will have the power to keep going when the journey gets tiring. Those who hope in the Lord will reach the mountain summit or make it through the valley. Those who hope in the Lord are never alone because the He is with them no matter where the journey leads. Then one day when in God’s timing we reach our destination, when we are finally truly home we will look back and see that it was worth it.
Have you not heard? Do you not know? If you hope in the Lord - you will have all you need when you need it, no matter where you are in the journey.
A Prayer
Father, thank you for never growing weary of us. Thank you for being the strength we need when life’s journey seems long and tiring. Thank you that we never travel alone because you are always with us. In the name of Jesus in whom we have our hope, Amen.
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