Devotion 11/9: Isaiah 40:28-31

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. 
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might
he increases strength. 
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
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.

Isaiah 40:28-31

 

Guest Devotion Writer – Pastor Nate Wolcott

 

Several weeks ago I preached on the parable of the persistent widow that Jesus told in Luke 18:1-8.  The point that Jesus was making was that Christians are to “…always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1).  In our church this week, we have seen the answer to many, many years of prayers!  Sandra finally received lungs!  Eight years of praying.  Three years of being on the list.  Finally! 

 

However I think anyone involved will confess if you ask that there were times when they were tempted to give up on praying.  When we’re praying for something and it’s not happening, there are a lot of ways that we can be tempted to give up on praying.

 

I often expect God to answer within a certain window.  As I look at circumstances, in my wisdom there appears to be an 11^th hour beyond which no help can come.  In all honesty, as the window within which God answering my prayer with “Yes” grows smaller and smaller, the hope within my heart that he’s going to answer with yes also shrivels.  When we’re six months away from depleting our savings account, praying for a new job isn’t that stressful.  After all, God can answer without this really hurting!  However the closer and closer to the wire we get, the more we see that we might actually suffer.  There’s a tendency to turn to fear instead of faith.

 

“If God was going to answer my prayer, he would have done it by now so I guess he’s not going to show up for me.”

 

“There’s no more time left in which God can help me.”

 

“I’ve prayed for years.  Why isn’t God listening to me?  Does he even care?”

 

When these thoughts start bouncing around my head, I am tempted to give up and not spend time with God in prayer.  I forget that I don’t come before God in need of answers only, but also I come to him in need of the faith and understanding to persist in prayer at all.  God shows up the biggest when we run to the limits of what we are able to give.  When I have nothing left in my own strength, and I go to God confessing my complete lack of anything, God often shows up the biggest. 

 

As Rutherford said, “Faith grows best in the winter of trial.”  1 Peter 1:6-7 confirms this, but so does our experience.  How much faith did it take to pray for new lungs three years ago when Sandra was first put on the list?  A lot less than two weeks ago when we were weary in praying and not having received an answer yet.  Praying at the 11^th hour takes a more refined faith.  Refined faith doesn’t happen unless 10 hours of trial have already happened.

 

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness... (1 Peter 3:9)

 

So are you not approaching God in prayer because you are weary of not receiving answers?  Are you stumbling because you interpret the lack of a “Yes” as a lack of God’s listening to you?  Come to God in your weariness, and ask Him to renew your strength in prayer.

 

Come as you are, but by all means COME.

 

For the King who calls renews our strength,

Pastor Nate Wolcott