RENEWING YOUR STRENGTH
(week 24/15)
OLUBI JOHNSON
Isaiah 40:31 NKJV: But those who wait on 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.
Why do we need to renew our strength?
We need to renew our strength because we use up the power of God given to us by God to live by faith, walk in the Spirit to please God, overcome Satan and his myriad temptations and trials and so after a while we start feeling weak and overwhelmed and then we need to go back to God to renew our strength.
2Corinthians 12:7-10 NKJV: And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. (8) Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. (9) And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (10) Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Observe here that God does not stop the messenger of Satan from attacking us (so He can legally eternally punish Satan and his cohorts (2 Thess. 1.6)); rather, He gives us more grace to overcome Satan and the new challenges he brings.
When we are weak, we are more conscious of our TOTAL dependence on God (Jn.15.5) and so we seek Him MORE URGENTLY for His grace in greater humility. God then gives us MORE grace and consequently a GREATER measure of His life and power and we become strong again; fulfilling the scripture: when we are weak, then are we strong!
So, we see then a cycle: strength—used up—weakness—more humility—more grace—renewed strength: this is how God’s strength is made perfect (or runs its full cycle) in our weakness fulfilling:
Joel 3:10 NKJV: Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’
As we wait on God in prayer and Word, God’s power lifts up above the satanic attacks and challenges we are facing that we could not have overcome in our own strength, like the power of the wind lifts an eagle to heights it could not fly to by flapping its wings.
We experience this cycle of weakness to renewed strength at different levels: weekly (Is. 58.8-13), daily (Lk.9.23), every six hours (Dt. 6.7, Mk. 13.35) as we walk with God, so consistently renewing our strength, so running not getting weary and walking and not fainting!
