Isaiah
40:31
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew
their strength. They shall mount up on wings as eagles. They shall run and not
grow weary. They shall walk and not faint.
Many years ago, while I was attending
Bible College, I went through a very difficult time where I
experienced many heartaches and disappointments. Being very young in both my
age and my walk with the Lord, these experiences brought me to a crossroads in
my life. Disillusioned with those who labeled themselves as “Christians” and
with personal relationships in general, I surrendered myself to a life of loneliness
and seclusion, building walls around my heart in an attempt to preserve the
little piece that was left.
My broken heart and spirit left me in a
state of confusion and weakness, almost zombie-like. It was a very dark period
in my life, filled with feelings of rejection and betrayal which caused me to
cry out to the only stable presence I had; God! I spent night after night on my
face before the Lord, in the college chapel. It became my secret hiding place;
the only place where I felt wanted and loved.
Due to being such a new, young Christian,
I had never really experienced hearing the voice of the Lord speaking to me. I
certainly didn’t know what to listen for or what to expect. At that point, I
didn’t have anyone close enough who I felt comfortable asking such questions,
so I just plugged along on my own; just me and God. It was during that time
that some amazing things began to happen.
I entered my daily chapel class one day,
and listened as the speaker brought forth the Word of God. Nothing out of the
ordinary happened, but he read a scripture that struck me in a profound way.
That scripture happened to be Isaiah 40:31. I had never read or heard that
scripture before and it brought a small glimmer of hope to my soul. Within a
matter of days, that scripture began to pop-up over and over again. A professor
would open his class with a reading of that scripture, preachers would preach
about it in church services, songs would ring out those words in youth group
services. Literally, everywhere I went, that specific scripture would flash
before me, in one way or another.
At first I thought it was a strange coincidence,
but after a few days I began to realize that God was trying to speak to me. The
awesome God of the universe was speaking to a broken-hearted, young woman on a
small, college campus somewhere in the middle of small town America. It was a
humbling experience.
Beyond the fact that God had decided to
speak to me, the words that he began to etch in my spirit were life-giving and
renewing. If I would just wait on him, he would renew my body and soul. I
dwelled on those words, day and night, trying to understand what it meant to
truly wait on him. As days turned into weeks, I began to feel strength and hope
arise in me, once more. And within months, as my relationship with the Lord
grew stronger and deeper, he brought about the greatest relationship I would ever
have with another human being, and that being my wonderful husband. (It took me
quite a while to let him past those walls I had built around my heart though, but that
story is meant for another time.)
Isaiah 40:31 continues to be one of my
favorite scriptures, and each time I feel drained and weakened by the trials
and tribulations of this life, I am once again reminded of the truth of his Word.
I am then transported back to a time where an awesome, loving God took the time to
speak to an insecure, hurting, young woman and bring hope and healing. If he
did it then, then I know he will do it again!
Are you feeling
weak, tired and drained by the circumstances of life? Find your secret hiding
place with the Lord, away from the noise and confusion around you. As you make it
a priority to spend time with God, you will begin to hear him speak to you.
Listen for you own personal scripture from him. He’s waiting to see how
desperate you are for him. Make today the day you run to him!
Have
a great day!
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