Blake Allen, Dunbar Cave Campus Pastor, LHBC

Isaiah 40:27-31

“Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? 28 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. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they 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..”

Recently, my family started working out again. And when I find myself getting to the last set of exercise with sweat coming off my face, inhaling heavy breaths, and a fatigued body, I wonder if I can bear the weight. I wonder if I can overcome the pressure of the weight. I start to wonder if it is too much weight.

But instead of giving up, instead of quitting, instead of backing down, instead of doubting, I remind myself that I have a spotter. So should I start to feel overtaken and crushed by the pressure of the weight I am trying to lift, I trust that my spotter will step in and lift the burden that I cannot carry on my own. And it is that faith and confidence that gives me renewed strength to complete the last set, face it dead on, and endure.

Some of you are being crushed and feeling overtaken by the burdens you cannot carry on your own. The weight of your circumstance seems unbearable. But you can have the confidence and faith that you will overcome the pressure and the weight of what you are facing because you have a spotter who is ready to lift what you cannot. And if you wait on the Lord you will have renewed strength and the ability to endure. 

Israel thought the Lord forgot about them. They believed that their current conditions were to much to bear. They believed God was not there to step in and take on their load. They thought they were being ignored by God, that God had turned a blind eye to their situation. And if we are honest, there are many times where we feel like the Lord has forgotten about us too. Instead of waiting on the Lord, we start formulating ungodly ideals in our minds and making statements like:

 -I have prayed and prayed but it doesn’t seem to work.

-God is ignoring me.

-If God was real, He wouldn’t have allowed me to be in this situation.

-How could God exist and let this happen?

-Where is God in all this?

-How long are you going to let this go on, God?

We begin to question the very existence of God because we think He doesn’t see or respond to our problems. We think God does not communicate to us. We expect to hear some mystical voice in the sky that whispers to us the answers to life’s problems. Yet God has already communicated to us.

-He communicates through His Word which we don’t read.

-He communicates through His Spirit that is quenched when we live like the world and sin.

-He communicates through other mature believers who speak truth in our lives, but we rather listen to those who will comfort us in our sin.

-Instead of having faith, we ask for a sign when Jesus told us that only an evil and adulterous generation demands a sign.

-He communicates with us through prayer, yet we do more talking than listening and reflecting.

-We have more calloused thumbs from scrolling on social media than calloused knees from prayer.

And then we wonder why we can’t hear the voice of God.

God has always been on your side. He is ready to bear your load and provide you peace in adversity. In fact, Jesus tells us to cast our anxieties upon Him because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:6). He says, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest (Matt 11:28-20). 

You may not be able to handle the weight of your situation. But God can. Rest in Him today and know He is with you always. 

PRAYER FOR TODAY: 

Heavenly Father, you remind us in your word that you are with us. Because of this truth, I know that I am not alone. I know that I can cast my cares on you and you will give me rest, peace, joy, and truimph. Thank you for reminding me of this truth. In Jesus name, Amen. 

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK: 

Psalm 16:11

You make known to me the path of life;

    in your presence there is fullness of joy;    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.