Let’s Soar

Let’s Soar

Isaiah 40:28-31 NLT

²⁸ Have you never heard?
    Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
    No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
²⁹ He gives power to the weak
    and strength to the powerless.
³⁰ Even youths will become weak and tired,
    and young men will fall in exhaustion.
³¹ But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
    They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
    They will walk and not faint.

Many have heard, not all listen. Not all care to understand. Yet God is eternal. He’s always existed and always will. We cannot even begin to understand God. It would be arrogant to think that we could. I struggle with algebra, how on earth do I think I could understand God. That is where faith comes in.

For someone like me that wants to know how things are put together, how they work, one would think that I would have a hard time with faith. One of the disciples, Thomas was having a hard time believing the others that they had been with Jesus after He had been crucified. In fact he said, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” (John 20:25) Imagine his shock when Jesus showed up 8 days later and said to Thomas “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” (John 20:27)

I most certainly would have been in complete shock. Jesus goes on to define faith in verse 29 when He says “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” This is where we can come back to verse 29 from Isaiah 40. It is because of faith that He gives power and strength.

That power and strength can come in many different ways. For example, in 328 A.D. a group of 40 Roman soldiers refused to bow down to the emperor. He then had them stand naked all night on a frozen pond. Only one gave up and went to warm himself by the fires on the shore. One of the guards standing on the shore was overcome and would strip down, declare his faith in Jesus and walked out onto the frozen pond. These men were given the power and strength to stand for Christ. They lived and died for Him.

Verse 31 is my favorite. The words of this verse depict the transformation that can only come through faith. Through faith we will find new strength and soar high. We are transformed. People will see a difference in us. Life becomes more. It is a feeling that is hard to describe. Nothing is lost except sin and for those who think that all their fun is taken away, that is nonsense. That is what Satan wants us to believe. With God there is so much more. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and let the Holy Spirit live in us we do not get weary or faint. We do soar high like eagles. Life is better in more ways than can be counted.

Gracious and loving Father, thank you for the strength that you give us each day. Living for You is so much more than I could have ever imagined. Let others see how amazing it is to live for You and not for the world. Let others see that no matter what circumstance we are in or going through that doing it with You is so much better. Let us soar with you, amen!