Have you ever just felt like giving up? I think all of us have on some level. Whether it be a goal we set for ourselves, a dream we have, a relationship that has gone sideways, or a prophetic word God has given us, there are times when the weariness overtakes us. At that point giving up seems like a viable option. Sometimes if we sit with the thought of giving up for too long, it can seem logical. We can actually reason ourselves out of things we have hoped for because giving up now seems like the smart thing to do.
Why do we do this? I think it is our way of protecting ourselves. If we give up, then we don’t have to suffer disappointment when what we are hoping for ultimately doesn’t happen. It once again is the illusion of control. If I choose to walk away from this dream, relationship, prophetic word now, then I won’t have to deal with the disappointment later if it doesn’t work out in the way I thought it would. Continuously believing for something even in the face of what looks like impossibility is where courage really lies. It takes courage to continue to hope for something that does not look like it will happen.
So how do we live in the tension between our current circumstances and hope? I personally believe this is a sacred place that God wants to meet with us. There is something to be said about trusting God when things are not going the “right” way. Our ability to sacrifice our right to understand what is going on and choose to lay down our desire to make sense of our circumstances opens the door for God to meet us in a different way. We are saying to God I love you and because I love you, I trust you. Even when I don’t understand, I choose to trust you. I think that heart attitude is so beautiful to God and will draw Him to us in a deeper way.
Isaiah 40:28-31 illustrates this so wonderfully. The Passion Translation says “Don’t you know? Haven’t you been listening? Yahweh is the one and only everlasting God, the Creator of all you can see and imagine! He never gets weary or worn out. His intelligence is unlimited: he is never puzzled over what to do! He empowers the feeble and infuses the powerless with increasing strength. Even young people faint and get exhausted; athletic ones may stumble and fall. But those who wait for Yahweh’s grace will experience divine strength. They will rise up on soaring wings and fly like eagles, run their race without growing weary, and walk through life without giving up.”
This passage is full of incredible promises. First, it assures us that God absolutely knows what He is doing. He is never pacing in front of His throne, wringing His hands, worried about what is going on. Nothing takes Him by surprise. Our bad choices, things going on in the earth, plans of the enemy, none of this confuses or worries Him. Better yet, when we ask Him, He will show us what to do. He longs to partner with us to bring Heaven to Earth. He could crash in anytime, but that is not how He chose to do things when He created us. He wants to partner with us, and it is our privilege to partner with Him.
He also promises divine strength to those who wait on Him. The word for wait used in this passage means to wait hopefully or to wait with expectancy. So if you are waiting on God to do something or to show you how and when to move, I encourage you to wait with hope filled expectancy that He will do what He said He will do. The promise attached is you will experience divine strength. Waiting takes strength. In our culture of seize the day, hustle, and instant gratification, it is not always easy to wait on God’s timing. But if we do, He promises divine strength. I think that is a wonderful exchange.
If we look at the last section of this passage, there are amazing promises held there for those that wait on God. The scripture says we will soar on wings like eagles. Have you ever watched an eagle soar either in real life or a video? It looks pretty effortless. I don’t know about you, but I have never seen an eagle laboring to stay in the sky or afraid they are going to crash so they falter. They just take to the sky and soar. I also wonder if this comparison is used in Isaiah because if you soar like an eagle you are then seeing things from a much higher perspective. You are no longer fixated on the things just around you but you can see things differently.
The scripture also says if we wait on the Lord, we will run our race without growing weary and walk through life without giving up! I think that is an amazing promise from God. It is also a promise that keeps me in check. Meaning that if I am weary or want to give up, it is a tell tale sign to me that somewhere along the way I quit trusting in God to do what He said He was going to do. Somewhere I began trusting in what I could see and in my own strength. At that point I need to go back, see where I got off track and correct myself. I believe weariness is a symptom that tells us when we need to sit with Jesus for a while. When you sit with Jesus and allow Him to speak to you, your identity in Him is reestablished, and it is much easier to run with Him.
Helpful hint: If you sit with God and begin to hear amazing things about yourself, that is God speaking to you. Write them down! Many times I don’t think we understand how much God truly loves us. I also don’t think we truly understand how good God is. Yes, we make mistakes and God is aware of our weaknesses but because Jesus died on the cross for us, He sees us through the lens of Jesus. It is not that He doesn’t want to deal with our sin. He hates sin because it separates us from Him. However, He absolutely loves you and thinks you are wonderful. Let Him tell you how much He loves you. It is life changing.
Remember friend, God is always for you, never against you. He has made a way for you to be in right relationship with Him through Jesus. He has also made a way for you to live a victorious and abundant life. So the next time you are feeling weary or feel like giving up, read Isaiah 40:31 and meditate on His promises. Wait with expectancy that He will do what He said He will do and experience His incredible strength. He loves you more than you can understand!