Day 17 -Get Weak

A Weightless Devotional

“He gives strength to those who are tired; to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy. Even youths get tired and weary; even strong young men clumsily stumble. But those who wait for the LORD’s help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired.”
—Isaiah 40:29–31

Strength isn’t a constant. There are times when you call on it and it’s just not there. You try to hold everything together, but it feels like you’re shouldering more than you can bear. At those moments, anxiety whispers, “If you don’t do this, no one will. If you let go, everything will fall apart.” Just like Pavlov’s dogs were conditioned to drool at the sound of a bell, worry is our subconscious reflexive responsibility response, conditioning us to look for ways to control every detail and solve every problem on our own, or the worst will happen.

But Isaiah takes the Pavlov out of the dog in this passage when he tells us that it isn’t you who sustains you through all of your worry, but God. He is the one who works in and through you toward His good purposes. Yes, even in the trial and the tribulation. The reason you often feel overwhelmed is that you forget who is truly in control. And, in one fell swoop, anxiety shrinks your strength as it leads you to forget who is doing what in your life. You forget that you are His, and He is the One guiding the outcome.

Worry says, “I’ve got to fix this,” but God says, “Rely on me for this.”

When you stop trying to rely on your own energy and ingenuity and instead look to God for help, you tap into a strength that is far beyond your own capacity. Isaiah’s imagery of rising on eagle’s wings is preceded by something amazing—waiting on the Lord. Don’t think of waiting as staying where you are. Instead, think of waiting in the server sense. A server waits. They don’t sit around with their feet up—they are busy serving. That means that waiting on the Lord involves attending to the Father’s business; serving Him instead of serving yourself through your worry.