“The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4).
The opening lines to the iconic song, Bridge Over Troubled Water, make me smile because they speak to so many of us:
When you're weary
Feeling small
When tears are in your eyes
I'll dry them all
I'm on your side
Oh, when times get rough.
Whether the song speaks of a friend, a lover, or God Himself, the part that is so universal is how our weariness brings out our cry for connection.
And yet, many people tell me that other people wear them out. They don’t like getting together with others for long because gatherings poop them out.
But today’s devotion isn’t about connection, odd as that might be for me. My point is that everyone gets worn out. And while we find rejuvenation in a number of different activities (or lack of activity) from time to time, we would do well to remember that such activity itself is not the source of our restored life.
The Almighty breathed life into us from our beginning. But He also is the source of our renewed strength. Whether we find refreshing in a trip to the mountains or a long coffee with a good friend, He is the source behind it all. We may not always find renewed strength in spiritually uplifting activities such as reading the Bible or gathering with others for prayer, but we WILL always find renewed strength from the Lord if we seek Him out and we wait upon Him.
“Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary” (Isaiah 40:31).
Waiting on the Lord is not the only way to renew your strength, it’s just the only guaranteed way to renew your strength. That is because the Author of life is always equipped to breathe new life into you.
So, what’s the takeaway here? What’s the practical application you can start exercising today to start experiencing renewed strength? That’s not a question I can answer. Everybody’s different. All I want to say is a change in focus can do a lot. Remembering the real source of renewed strength has a way of changing the way you behave over the long term.