Isaiah 40:31 – But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (KJV)

The Lord has promised to renew our strength when we wait on Him. Wow! With this truth, I can rise energetically, and look forward to this day with Him. I can face anything with the Lord beside me. It is true that one’s strength, during the senior years, is less than in earlier years, but with the Lord God renewing our strength, nothing can defeat us or put us down.

As human beings, God has created us with weak and needy bodies, right? No — wrong! God has created each of us with a marvellous body. But our bodies were created to need strength, to need Him! Paul reminds us of that fact in one of my favourite verses: “I can do all things through [Christ] who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13 NRSV) So it is Christ who strengthens me. I need to talk with Him more!

Everything comes from waiting on God as we pray to Him and walk through each day with the Lord. Notice, however, the word “renew”. It points to our need each day for renewal as our bodies run out of strength.

Several years ago, when I was preaching every Sunday, I was tired and weary one particular week. As I was leading the Bible discussion group that week, we agreed to pray for my energy level, especially during the following Sunday service. While delivering the sermon, the Lord not only gave me strength, but also filled me with His Spirit. I was flying, not with pride and knowledge, but with the Holy Spirit speaking through me, and I enjoyed myself as I spoke on His Word. That was Spirit-energy, and it showed. People were moved, and we all rejoiced during the closing prayer. God was with us!

Do you feel in need of renewal, of more strength? Ask your friends, your sisters and brothers in Christ, to pray for you, for “they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.”

Prayer: It is so simple, Lord. You are here, but we get overwhelmed and carried away, far from Your presence. We come to You now and ask for Your Spirit to renew our strength for this day. In prayer, we wait upon You. May we rejoice and share with others how we feel this day. With great thanksgiving, we go ahead with our plans, knowing that as we wait upon You for strength, You will fill us with Your Spirit. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Iris Ford iris_ford@telus.net
Parksville, British Columbia, Canada

(To access the entire “Waiting on the Lord” devotional series, please click here.)