STRENGTH FROM THE LORD
“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.” (Isaiah 40:31)
Growing Weary?
Have you ever been so tired mentally you wanted to stop trying to complete a task? God has help ready to give us for those times. He accepts calls for help from people who seek Him. When we reach out to God it demonstrates we know we can’t go on without Him.
Prayer of a godly mother
At one low point in my life, my schooling almost complete, I grew discouraged. I had failed my exam once, took it again the next year and got six out of seven questions right. The school granted me mercy yet again. They allowed me to work for one year to complete the portion of the exam I missed. Close to the end of that year, I felt exhausted and wanted to quit. Too weary to go on, I called my mother in another state. She told me if I gave up now I would regret it the rest of my life. Our conversation ended. She took the matter to the Lord, asking Him to give me strength to finish. By God’s help I graduated, having earned the degree I sought.
Joined with Jesus, yoked with Him, He carries the heavy load.
When our strength is spent, God tells us to “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22). Jesus tells us to “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me: for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). A yoke refers to “a wooden frame or bar with loops or bows at either end, used for harnessing together a pair of oxen or horses.” Before tractors were invented, farmers used oxen or horses to plow ground for planting crops. A yoke paired two oxen or horses together to divide the load weight. The farmer also used a yoke to train a younger inexperienced ox or horse by pairing him with one older and experienced.
Bear Fruit that Remains
God gives us strength to accomplish something for His glory. God longs to grow spiritual fruit in us. Jesus said “Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you” (John 15:16).
Example from scripture
Asa, king of Judah, is an example from scripture about how we are to rely on God for strength. Afterward however, a more experience king, he began to rely on our own strength. In the first battle, Asa led his troops in the power of the LORD. Outnumbered two to one, “Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, ‘LORD, it is nothing with Thee, to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on Thee, and in Thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, Thou art our God, let not man prevail against Thee.’ So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled” (II Chronicles 14:11-12).
God’s message to Asa
A few years later Asa faced another battle with a different enemy. This time Asa thought he could handle it on his own and did not ask God for help. Asa’s army won and they all celebrated their victory. However, Asa had lost favor with God. God sent him a prophet named Hanani with a message for him. “Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, He delivered them out of thine hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.”
Victory with consequences
Because Asa didn’t seek God’s help in this battle God said through Hanani, “Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars” (II Chronicles 16:8-9). As we consider Asa’s success and mistakes, we can take note that all our actions have consequences in the spiritual realm.
God longs to win the battles for us
God yearns for His children to ask Him for help. Too often we rely on our own strength. When we think we have mastered the challenge we face, we discover God is in charge of success. May God give us spiritual insight to seek out God in good times so we will have a habit established ready to use in bad times.
Shirley Logsdon
For further readings from previous posts
https://www.treadingwatertiljesuscomes.com/2015/10/06/the-yoke/ by Tricia Cook
