Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today, let’s consider taking regular breaks or waiting on God for new energy.

Today’s scripture, Isaiah 40:30-31 (KJV) says…
[30] Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: [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.

Consider…
Most of us have a daily grind that wears us out. While it’s great to take an extended break from time to time, we don’t always have the ability to do so. Heck if we’re honest, sometimes we wonder if we can get to the weekend. For those of us who get stuck in a daily rut, I would like to offer a solution to our straining situations. The answer in a word is pause!

Today’s scripture is a familiar one. Still, let’s look at it more intently.

First, understand everyone will become weak and get tired. Recognizing our frailty helps us stay mindful of the fact that we’re not invincible or indestructible. Therefore, we need to make sure we are regularly taking care of ourselves, which includes regular breaks as we labor to get things done. I might add, that includes mental and physical breaks.

The prophet Isaiah offers a simple remedy to the issues raised in the first observation, which is to wait!

Oxford Languages defines wait as…
stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens.

Applying the definition to Isaiah’s recommendation suggest when we feel our strength failing or fatigue setting in, we should simply stop and stay where we are. Stopping makes sense, especially when I read Exodus 14:14 (NIV), which says…
[14] The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Note, the Lord says stop and let Him handle whatever we’re struggling with.

Yet, I don’t think the first part of Oxford’s definition is what the prophet is suggesting. Rather, I believe he’s suggesting the part that says, delay action until a particular time or until something else happens.

You see, Isaiah specifically said, “they that wait upon the LORD”. This means, we shouldn’t come to a full stop, but instead just slow down and let Jesus take the wheel. That makes me think of Carrie Underwood’s lyrics that say…

Jesus, take the wheel
Take it from my hands
‘Cause I can’t do this on my own
I’m letting go
So give me one more chance
And save me from this road I’m on
Jesus, take the wheel

Those lyrics are a great prayer in the midst of our strength strains and faith wains. You see we can get so caught up in doing that we forget let the Lord guide our steps. Said another way, we can become so self-sufficent that we forget to remain LORD-dependent.

Writing that made me think of Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV), which says…
[5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; [6] in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

We must always sing with Maestro Richard Smallwood…

Lord, I will lift my eyes to the hills
Knowing my help is coming from You
Your peace, You give me in time of the storm

You are the source of my strength
You are the strength of my life

Make sure you never forget that God is the source of your strength, and strength of your life.

That’s why I believe Isaiah said they that wait on the LORD!

Isaiah didn’t stop with telling us to wait on God, he told us the benefit of waiting. He said, “they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength”.

Notice, waiting on God provided a strength infusion. That tells me regularly pausing and letting God lead us is like plugging into an infinite supply of power.

As I wrote that, the Holy Spirit showed me an unspoken expectation to wait on the Lord in one of the favorite verses for many people. Philippians 4:13 (KJV) testifies…
[13] I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Here’s the key, doing things through Christ means relying on His power. And notice the Apostle Paul said that Christ strengthens us. Again, that reflects us relying on God for our strength. What a beautiful connection by the Holy Spirit of God’s emphasis of the importance of total dependence on Him!

Accordingly today’s encouragement is simply, whenever you feel like you need a break, pause and wait on the LORD to renew your strength! As a matter of fact, before you get to the point of needing a break, pause and wait on the LORD to renew your strength! Actually, before you even start what ever you are doing, pause and wait on the LORD to renew your strength!

Regularly, WAIT ON THE LORD!

Today’s Song is…
They That Wait

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)