But those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31
So far we've learned two things about hope.
The first is that hope looks upward. It focuses beyond our earthly horizon. It yearns for God's plans, God's power, and God's provision. Upward!
Second, hope focuses forward. Hope obviously doesn't focus backward. The past is past. Rather, we hope for the future. Christian hope, indeed, focuses on our future in heaven when there will be no more mourning or crying or pain. Hope yearns for Christ to come again gloriously and for the eternal victory to begin!
And what is the fruit of this forward and upward looking hope? Today's lesson tells us:
But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. The trials of this earth batter us, wound us, seek to crush us. Hope gives us strength. And when we quit focusing helplessly on this earth, hope links us to the supernatural strength that comes from the Lord.
What is the fruit of hope? The prophet tells us that those who trust in the Lord will soar on wings like eagles. Forward and upward, right?
They will run and not grow weary. Why? Well, remember how Jesus said, "Come to me, all who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest" (Mt 11:28)? When we come to God, when we trust and hope in the Lord, we rely on God's provision and not our own. And that's the strength of hope that comes from the Lord.
Finally it says, they will walk and not be faint. When we hope, we pick ourselves up again. We start walking again. We start moving forward again. And God is ahead of us, not behind us. Our future - God's future for us - is ahead of us. And when we start hoping, we start walking toward his power, purpose, and provision.
In Christ's Love,
a guy who if he
was allowed to pick
a superpower would
probably choose to fly
(Gracious God, lift me up
on wings like eagles!)
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