Christian Writers Circle

by Judy Hitson

Isaiah 40: 31 NRSV Those 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.

Wait! Slow down! Not so fast!

Think of a baby learning to walk, taking that first step. In the beginning, the little one stumbles and falls but quickly gets up to try again. Before you know it, the child not only walks but learns to run. Then a fall can be more serious, from a bruise or scrape to a fractured bone at times. So too we begin our walk with Christ as a babe, some stumbles and falls along the way. We are blessed as we rely on the Lord, learning to walk and live in the Spirit to the full measure of Christ. As we consider the maturing process of a child dependent on their parents, it can help us understand the progression of spiritual growth depending on our Father in heaven.

On the topic of Maturity in Christ, I’ve written on the following aspects for you to consider, first an overview. Then we looked at Maturity in Christ through: Diet, God’s Word, Prayer, the Spirit, the mind of Christ, Spiritual Gifts and Bearing Fruit. In each of these facets, we discover our need to wait for the LORD to understand His perspective. Otherwise we run ahead with our own understanding(see Pr. 3:5-6).

When the LORD renews our strength, He gives us a divine exchange. When anxious in a situation, God wants to give us peace.

Phil. 4:6-7 is God’s Recipe of Peace for anxiety
Refuse anxiety like an enemy of your soul.
Thank God that He is with you.
Pray about the situation.
Receive God’s peace.

When we are anxious and proceed in a situation, our decisions will be earthly, of our flesh. When we wait for the LORD in the situation, He renews our strength by His Spirit, giving us His strength for our weakness. It is a divine exchange. Here are some examples from God’s Word:

peace for anxiety, Phil. 4:6-7
Spirit of power, love and sound mind for a spirit of fear, 2 Tim. 1:7
God’s peace for confusion, I Cor. 14:33
Rest for weariness, Matt. 11:28
Faith for doubts, Rom. 14:23

As we wait for the LORD and receive His strength, we will soar like an eagle in the situations of life to run and not be weary, to walk and not faint.