“He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:29-31

Perspiration or Inspiration?

Sometimes I learn a lot from watching my dog and it makes me chuckle a bit. For example, there are times when “Rover” will encounter a hard, shiny surface. He will start to slip so he extends his claws in order to gain some traction. Of course this only results in him slipping and sliding all the more and suddenly he’s in panic mode. If he would only remember to allow his pads to make solid contact with the floor, and take one step at a time, he would realize his footing was secure, and that the surface was not slippery at all. (My husband reminds me that since he has no frontal lobes with which to reason, he will probably never be able to learn or grasp this simple concept, and is thus only acting instinctively.)

Does that ring any bells? Not only do we have frontal lobes but we have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit living in us to guide and direct our steps as we maneuver through this life!

Doubt, fear, impatience, anger, rebellion, lustful desires, selfishness, lack of trust, all these and more, can detour me from waiting on Him, impulsively acting on my human understanding, feelings and instincts—just muscling my way through the best I can. But if I would only stop and wait on the Lord to instruct me or to bring to my remembrance what I know is true, I would be able to get through that “hard” time one secure step at a time, and it would be in His power, His way, and His time. I would rely less on my perspiration and more on His inspiration.

As Isaiah says, even the youths and young men will faint, grow weary, and utterly fall, but the LORD gives power and strength to the weak. “Wait on the LORD; be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say on the LORD!”(Psalm 27:14)

We are instructed to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, not worrying about our tomorrows, but taking each day (each step) one at a time and not just rushing ahead in order to “get’er done” (Matthew 6:33-34).

“Lord, thank You for using the common and sometimes comical things in life to show us simple but essential truths about ourselves. Would you help me to just slow down and wait on You? Amen.”