Isaiah 40:31, “But those who wait for 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.”
Life’s problems can be difficult for some Christians. We believe that because we are Christians that no bad thing can happen to us. When unpleasant things do happen to us – they can challenge our faith. We forget that God has not promised to keep us away from harm, but God has promised to keep us through harm. This lesson is hardest for those of us who are still just barely starting out on our Christian journey – or those of us who are restarting our Christian journey for the thousandth time.
Does this scenario sound familiar? You start going to church regularly again. Then you start reading the Bible and taking time to pray. You notice a change. You can feel God working in your life. Encouraged, you start working hard at listening for God’s voice and giving up your old self-destructive habits. At first the results are amazing. God’s voice is clear and God’s blessings are abundant. You are certain that you are walking on the road that God has chosen for you.
Then you hit a snag. The road that you were so sure of takes an unexpected turn. If you are following God, isn’t God supposed to take care of you? You feel abandoned by God. You feel betrayed – the safe road that you were on is now gone. You don’t understand that God is still standing right beside you and that you are still on the road on which you are supposed to be.
This part of our faith journey can be like standing at the edge of a cliff beside a wide, bottomless canyon. Somehow you know that far away on the cliff on the other side of the canyon is the path where you are supposed to be. But how are you supposed to get all the way over there? When you look behind you, you see an easy path going back down the cliff. This is the path back to your old habits, back to your old life. What do you do?
When we reach this point we can become so discouraged that many of us give up and go back down the path we know. We stop going to church and reading the Bible and listening for God’s voice. We never get to see the other side of the canyon. The next time that you get to this point remind yourself that the edge of a cliff is the perfect place to learn to let the Spirit carry you. Don’t forget that God has given you wings. Blessings Pastor Kerry Nelson
He Has Magnified His Word 