“I
believe Isaiah 40:28-31 tells us exactly what to do when we get weary in the
walk. Notice whose strength the Lord will renew: “those who hope in the Lord.”
The Hebrew word for “hope” (KJV, “wait upon”)is quawah, meaning “to bind
together (by twisting)…to be gathered together, be joined.” If we want to keep
a renewed strength to face our daily challenges or regain a strength that has added,
God’s Word tells us to draw so close to the presence of God we’re practically
twisted to Him!
The
thought of fighting our way through life is exhausting. Can you think of
anything more arduous than waking up to win every day? I could probably do it
about four days a week. The other three days I’d want to push snooze and go
back to sleep. There’s got to be a better way.
I believe Isaiah 40:31 is telling us to wrap ourselves so tightly around God that we automatically go where He’s going, and the only way He’s going is to victory (2 Corinth. 2:14). God doesn’t want our goal to be to win. He wants our goal to be to win Christ. Consider Paul’s familiar words in Philippians 3:8-9. The King James Version uses the words, “that I may win Christ”. No one had more to say about warfare and fighting the good fight than the apostle Paul; yet his primary goal was no to win, but to win Christ. The next phrase explains what the apostle meant by winning Christ. It says, “and be found in Him”.
Being “found in Christ” is the very same idea as “hope in the Lord” in Isaiah 40:31. Both concepts describe binding self to God. When my children were little, they used to hold on to my waist and wrap their legs around one of mine. I’d whistle, go about my business, and say, “I wonder what Amanda (or Melissa) is doing right now?” They would laugh hysterically. My heart never failed to be overwhelmed with love, because I realized that their favorite game was to hang on to me! My muscles might ache afterward, but it was worth it.
I believe Isaiah 40:31 is telling us to wrap ourselves so tightly around God that we automatically go where He’s going, and the only way He’s going is to victory (2 Corinth. 2:14). God doesn’t want our goal to be to win. He wants our goal to be to win Christ. Consider Paul’s familiar words in Philippians 3:8-9. The King James Version uses the words, “that I may win Christ”. No one had more to say about warfare and fighting the good fight than the apostle Paul; yet his primary goal was no to win, but to win Christ. The next phrase explains what the apostle meant by winning Christ. It says, “and be found in Him”.
Being “found in Christ” is the very same idea as “hope in the Lord” in Isaiah 40:31. Both concepts describe binding self to God. When my children were little, they used to hold on to my waist and wrap their legs around one of mine. I’d whistle, go about my business, and say, “I wonder what Amanda (or Melissa) is doing right now?” They would laugh hysterically. My heart never failed to be overwhelmed with love, because I realized that their favorite game was to hang on to me! My muscles might ache afterward, but it was worth it.
To “hope
in the Lord” is to do with God what my children did with me! To wrap ourselves
around Him as tightly as we can. Why does Isaiah 40:31 present the concept of
binding ourselves to God in context with being weary and faint? Think about the
illustration of the game my children and I played. Who did most of the work? I
did! What was their part in the game? Binding themselves to me and hanging on
tight. Do you see the parallel? When we start feeling weary, we’re probably
taking on too much of the battle ourselves.
When we’re
most exhausted, we’re expending more energy fighting the enemy then we are
seeking God’s presence. More than you seek to win, seek Christ! More than you
seek the defeat the enemy, seek his foe! More than you seek victory, seek the
Victor! You’ll never be more beautiful to God than when He can look down and
see you hanging on Him for dear life!
…Cling only to Him, the One who will lead you until He leads you home—where once and for all, you’ll be free at last.
I feel a little like I did when I left my Amanda at college for the first time. Humor me for a moment and allow me to say a few motherly things before we go. Remember, we never find freedom from bondage in independence. We find It by taking the same handcuffs that bound us to sin and binding ourselves to the wrist of Christ. When you’re imprisoned in the will of God, your cell becomes the Holy of Holies. Never forget, there is only one Stronghold that frees when it binds."
- from the book Breaking Free by Beth Moore
…Cling only to Him, the One who will lead you until He leads you home—where once and for all, you’ll be free at last.
I feel a little like I did when I left my Amanda at college for the first time. Humor me for a moment and allow me to say a few motherly things before we go. Remember, we never find freedom from bondage in independence. We find It by taking the same handcuffs that bound us to sin and binding ourselves to the wrist of Christ. When you’re imprisoned in the will of God, your cell becomes the Holy of Holies. Never forget, there is only one Stronghold that frees when it binds."
- from the book Breaking Free by Beth Moore
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