The Lord Renews Our Strength



On Eagle's Wings

Life brings us a lot of challenges. There are days when I wonder how I will manage to be in so many places at one time. There are so many people in need; so many who suffer; so many who are alone and lonely. How can we help them all? I make a lot of lists. If I don't, by the time I get home, I realize that I have not gotten to someone I had intended to get to.

It can seem overwhelming at times. Lists help to keep me on focus. But, more importantly rising early to study God's word and to spend time in prayer is essential if I want to be prepared to meet the day and any challenges the day might bring. I find strength in God's word and in his presence. I need to be able to talk to him and listen to Him and trust Him.

Isaiah reminds us that we are to wait and to trust in the Lord. He will give us the strength to meet the challenges.

"Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
    his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
    and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
    and the young will fall exhausted;
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." Isaiah 40:28-31 NRS 

We all grow weary at times. Trust in and lean on the One who does not for His strength never fails Him or us.

God's Peace - Judy 

Be Prepared!

It was 88 degrees here in Aura earlier this week. This evening, we are expecting snow. One can never tell what the day will bring. Here in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) we learn to be prepared for any kind of weather.

We spend many days preparing for winter. Windows are washed and sealed in plastic wrap; lawn furniture is put away; winter boots and jackets are taken out of storage while summer clothes stored for the winter; shovels are dug out; and, plows readied to be put on the trucks. We spend many days preparing and hoping for summer.  Everything we did in the fall to prepare for the winter is done in reverse. We spend a lot of time in the U.P. preparing so that we are ready for weather changes with each season.

But, how much time do we spend preparing for the changes that come with each day? Each day brings something new. Each day there are new challenges. Are we prepared to meet those challenges and overcome any adversity that might come our way?  Spending intentional time with our Father in heaven and our Lord, Jesus the Christ, each morning will help us to be prepared. Spending time in prayer with God will help us to meet the light of the day with renewed strength.

Be prepared! Pray! Spend time with our glorious Creator and Redeemer; our life and salvation.

And, may the Lord be with you that you may be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and that you may be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Col 1:11-14)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Seasons Change

      A Time and Season        

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace."

                                          Eccl 3:1-8 NRSV

 

There is a time and season for every purpose under the sun. Every spring and fall I look for the trumpeter swans to spend a few days in the river behind the house as they make their seasonal journey either north or south. For the last two years, pelicans have also made this a place to spend a day or two. The sight of them brings me much joy.

Every season brings change. Some of the changes are most pleasing like welcoming back the trumpeter swans. Other changes are not quite so pleasing. Even as the natural world around us changes, so do we. We change with time. We grow older; hopefully, we grow wiser. And, even more hopefully, with each season of life's experiences and challenges, we grow closer to the Lord.

Our journey through the wilderness of this world can be quite a challenge. We have good times and bad. Know that whatever befalls you, the Lord is with you in every time and season.

God's Peace - Pr. J