Listen:
Isaiah 40:27-31
Why do you say, Jacob,
and declare, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
my God ignores my predicament”?
Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the creator of the ends of the earth.
He doesn’t grow tired or weary.
His understanding is beyond human reach,
giving power to the tired
and reviving the exhausted.
Youths will become tired and weary,
young men will certainly stumble;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength;
they will fly up on wings like eagles;
they will run and not be tired;
they will walk and not be weary.
Consider:
Life can be exhausting…like REALLY exhausting. In the midst of long trials or crushing spiritual fatigue, we naturally ask, “Does God see me? Does God even care about my struggle?” This is a real and honest feeling we all have at times…and in these moments, it may feel difficult to turn to scripture and find relief, but the passage above actually hits at just that emotion.
In this passage, these very questions have been asked. (It would seem since the beginning of time, we have fallen into the thinking that God has forgotten us.) God’s response? Classic…a series of rhetorical questions, essentially saying, “Have you forgotten the fundamental truths you’ve been taught?” Three truths always remain: 1. God is eternal: no beginning, no end, no moment of absence in our lives. 2. God never grows weary: our exhaustion does not transfer to the God who is always there with us. 3. God’s wisdom is infinite: God doesn’t get muddled or confused as we do…God’s understanding has staying power.
Sometimes when it’s hard to hope, knowing there is a cheerleader who WON’T GIVE UP ON US gives that needed boost. That’s God…with God we will find the way to “run and not be tired.” What a gift!
Respond:
Individual: Waiting isn’t always a passive act…it is engaging in the action of hope if we look to waiting as the scripture explains. Take a moment to center yourself, feel grounded in the space you occupy in that moment, and practice “active waiting.” What is something, in that moment, you feel the action of hope for? What might you actively look toward to feel the sense of hope grow?
As a family: Do the centering activity above, but as a family, name one thing that has made you tired in the last week…then name one way you can shift the focus of that exhaustion toward active waiting and hope!
Pray:
Hopeful God, we are so grateful you do not grow weary…help us actively wait, even in our exhaustion, for that joy that is your presence in this world through Jesus. Amen.
