Isaiah 40.31 “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

It’s very likely you’re familiar with this verse; it’s a popular choice for greeting cards and coffee mugs. But when is the last time you really tried to hear what God is telling us here in these 32 words?

When we grow weary, we must examine ourselves and ask our heart to reveal the truth about where our hope lies. Most likely, my hope can be found hidden in tasks, responsibilities, and accomplishments that I have on MY agenda. God always shows me when my hope has been displaced because it is then that I am weary. I grow weak. I become emotionally faint, going through the motions and trying to make it through each day.  Sound familiar?

Here’s the thing about this verse- we so often miss the practical truth because we can’t wait to imagine soaring on eagle’s wings. We’ll get to that, but for now, don’t miss this: God isn’t telling us to stop moving. Do you see that? He’s telling us that when our hope, our future, our perspective is in Him alone, we can RUN and not grow weary. We can WALK and not grow faint. In other words, when we move with our eyes focused to an eternal perspective, God will multiply our efforts. Refresh us as we MOVE.

Much like water stations along a marathon route, God knows our path. He sets our pace. He knows when to meet us with refreshment, with nourishment that is just enough to satisfy our soul as we move. And yet, while God expects us to always move, He doesn’t always expect us to run. Or even walk. He knows when our tired and aching legs tremble for a break. That’s just when He promises to renew our strength, and true to His character, God chooses an amazing way to do it!

God promises that we can soar on wings like eagles. Now don’t read this with a coffee mug picture in your mind…really imagine EXACTLY what this means. The problem with coffee mug quotes is that they allow limited perspective. You saw this verse and had a mental image given to you by a photographer looking up at an eagle, right? Guess what- that’s not at all what God wants us to see when we read this verse.

God lifts us from the pounding cadence of feet upon earth to the clarity and perspective of an aerial view. Eagles have vision that is among the sharpest of all animals, seeing twice the distance of humans. So while God renews our strength, we are able to move at a faster pace because it is His vision that now guides us. On eagle’s wings we are able to view things from His perspective, but we must not forget the fact we’re still limited by our capacity to see with clarity. When we sense that God is moving things along at a swifter than usual pace, we must resist the urge to “see” what is going on, or to anticipate where He’s taking us. Continue to hope in Him, trust in His promise and His ability to take us places we could never imagine. Enjoy the view, but remember that you aren’t physically able with human eyes to appreciate all that lies around you.

Did you know that the largest eagles (such as the Harpy Eagle) often weigh more than 20 pounds and have a wingspan of 8 feet? 8 feet!! I’m only 5 feet tall on a good day- so in 8 feet I have plenty of space, no matter how much I stretch out, yet it’s still enough room for someone half again my height to be comfortable! Now THAT’S an image of a place to rest!

And yet there is another interesting point, that God chose an eagle. I know it doesn’t seem that interesting at first, beyond the obvious “wow” factor. But, did you know that even though God created eagles to be magnificent soaring birds that can cover large amounts of territory at a time, they aren’t exactly good at flying? This means that while they are amazing to behold in flight, they aren’t very good at taking off and landing! How funny is that? Ever sense that God was about to show you an amazing perspective, only to find that the times immediately before and after your intimate revelation with Him weren’t very comfortable? Don’t be distracted by frustration, just remember that eagles are known for soaring, and that even in the sometimes bumpy take-off and landing, you’re still moving!

©2010 Carmen Powell

carmen.r.powell@gmail.com

Used with permission

Deny Yourself, Take up Your Cross!

Many of us remember the words of Christ when he tells us that we must deny ourselves take up our cross and follow him.  In fact, when we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we spend a great deal of our life trying to figure out how we can do that better.  Still no matter how hard we try, we find ourselves coming ups short.  “We” try and try, but we come up short of what we know God wants for our lives.  Being successful planners, organizers, and leaders, “We” decide to take on the task.  “We” decide that “we” are going to take on this cross carrying project, “we” are going to achieve great success, and “we” are going to keep on until “we” get it right.   I hope that you are starting to see the one common ingredient behind our frustrations.   Our problem is not our intentions.  I know that as Christians we want nothing else than to be what God has called us to be.  The problem is that we are not going to be what God wants us to be until we completely surrender to Jesus, his will, his way, and his plan.  In Luke 9 we read;

 ^23-27Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat—I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? If any of you is embarrassed with me and the way I'm leading you, know that the Son of Man will be far more embarrassed with you when he arrives in all his splendor in company with the Father and the holy angels. This isn't, you realize, pie in the sky by and by. Some who have taken their stand right here are going to see it happen, see with their own eyes the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:23-27 The Message)

If we are to become what God wants, we must let him lead.  God wants nothing less than to be our pilot and putting Him in the co-pilot seat simple will not suffice.  By His very nature, God wants to lead.  He gives us free will to do as we want, but his desire is to have complete control.  The end will be a crown for those who accept His place in their lives, but be warned, the road to the crown is often tough.  Jesus rarely leads us down the path of least resistance instead he takes us down the road that he can use us to make the greatest difference.  I have discovered that God get the greatest good out of me when he puts me in situations that I have no choice but to depend on him. It’s in times in my life that I realize that I am in over my head that I look to him for answers, strength, and endurance.  It’s in those times that I truly take up my cross; it’s in those times that I give God his rightful place in my life.  Most important of all, it’s in times of complete surrender that I find my greatest joy and purpose.   The question is, will we move over and give God His rightful place in our lives?  Are we willing to let him drive?  I encourage you to join me, lose control and follow.  Once you do, hang on!  It’s going to be a wild ride!

~Mike 

God's Will...... Be Done!

I have always been amazed to see how God always accomplishes his will.   One of my favorite examples of his providence is found in the story of Joseph.  Near the end of Genesis, near the end of his life, Joseph’s brothers fear that Joseph is going to turn against them for the years they betrayed him.  Instead Joseph acknowledges that God is always in control and that His will, will be done!  We read his words in Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”  Joseph wrote these words after years of trial that could be traced back to the dysfunctional relationship he had with his family.  As a young boy, on two separate occasions, Joseph dreamed that someday his family would bow down before him.  We read that when he told the dreams to his family, his brothers hated him.  It’s not that they disliked him, or were annoyed by him, they hated him!  I can remember as a young boy having many fights with my brother and sister, I picked on them, they told on me, but hatred was never considered.  Throughout my life, there have been people I did not like, but I cannot remember hating anybody.  I cannot even imagine what was going on with this family.  It is a biblical example of everything that can go wrong within a family.  As the hatred for Joseph grew, schemes to get rid of him were devised.  Eventually Joseph was captured by his brothers sold into slavery to a band of Gypsies.  Now this would have been enough for most of us to lose heart, but Joseph pressed on to become a faithful servant in Potiphar’s house.  He was put in charge of everything that Potiphar had until he was betrayed and wrongfully accused by Potiphar’s wife of rape.  That’s right,  she made advances on Joseph over and over again, until one day she found herself alone with him.  In an attempt to get away he left his cloak in her hand and ran out.  Embarrassed and dejected, with his robe in her hand, she accused an innocent man.  Joseph was thrown into prison to spend the rest of his life.  Surely now, Joseph would give up, surely now he would relent his dreams and realize that he had it all wrong.   Joseph never quit dreaming.  As a prisoner, he became a leader.  In fact he was put in charge of the entire jail.  One day he had the chance to help out the cup bearer and baker of the king by listening and interpreting their dreams.  All he asked was that they remember what he had done and tell the King.  You guessed it; the cup bearer gets out of jail and forgets about Joseph.  It wasn’t until years later when Pharaoh had a dream that that needing interpreted that the cup bearer remembered what Joseph had done for him.  So let’s summarize, Joseph was hated by those who should love him, wrongly accused, and when you think it could not get any worse, he was forgotten!    Most of us would have given up, deciding that God does not love or care about us.  We would assume that we had done something so bad that even God has looked away from us.  Joseph never gave up on his dreams and believed that God was still in control.  He never gave up!   Joseph was correct, God blessed him with the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream, he was given a place of honor in Egypt second only to Pharaoh, and he saved his family.  Today God works through us in many ways to fulfill His will.  Like Joseph we will get knocked down, beat up, and feel all alone and forgotten.  It would be very easy to say God does not love me, or God does not have a plan for me, or there is nothing good in me for God to use.  This simply is not true!  I challenge you to think back to the dreams and passions God has placed in your heart.  It may have been years ago, and it may require removing the junk that has robbed you of God’s leading,  but find it, believe it, and go for it!  Who knows it may have been God’s plan all along to use you to save your family, and make a difference for His Kingdom!  

~Mike

A Matter of Perspective

I know you've all read Acts 9, and are familiar with Saul's conversion and how Ananias obeyed God and went to meet Saul and restore his sight. However, I have to share this, because it just reminds me again that God's Word is ACTIVE. It doesn't matter how many times we've studied a passage, or how many times we think we've wrung out all the details and new insights from it- God ALWAYS gives us something that will speak directly to us when we most need it. I especially love it when He uses a passage where I'd least expect to see something new.
Friday was the end of a very challenging- but rewarding week. God is taking me on a personal journey and while it's exciting, it's also very draining and emotionally difficult sometimes. During my quiet time Friday morning, I felt led to study Acts. It seemed I needed to remind myself of my roots (Acts is the 1st book of the Bible I studied verse by verse), as well as the roots of what "church" is really supposed to be. I started with Saul's conversion in Acts 9, and never made it past verse 22. Specifically, I parked on verses 10-17:
 ¹⁰In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!"
      "Yes, Lord," he answered.
 ¹¹The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹²In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight."
 ¹³"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."
 ¹⁵But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. ¹⁶I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
 ¹⁷Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

God used this familiar passage to reassure me that we don't always know what we think we know. (Yeah, I realize I should've figured that out a long time ago!) Ananias was prepared to hear God- when he heard his name in a vision, Ananias wasn't like Samuel; Ananias knew immediately that it was the Lord calling him. He answered right away, "Yes, Lord?" (I think it's worth noting that he said that instead of "What now, God?")

God gave clear instruction, and while Ananias didn't refuse or directly offer excuses like Moses did, he still wanted to be sure God knew what He was asking Ananias to do. "But God, you do realize this guy wants to kill people who follow You, right? And God, this isn't just me being paranoid- everything I've heard and seen tells me this is a bad idea. It's NOT a good situation. Do you realize how badly this idea of yours might turn out, God?"

That's kind-of my M.O.- not to defy God and tell Him what I won't do, I just want to be sure He understands MY perspective. MY fears. My reasons for thinking He's asking me to do something that doesn't make much sense.

So how did God respond when Ananias voices his concerns? "Go!" ("Ananias, what you don't know is that this man is already changed. The situation is completely different than what you're expecting. I've chosen to use this very man you think will destroy my church- and you. I know what is going to happen. I know what he's done to my people, and only I know what he's going to face as a result. Thanks for the concern, Ananias, but I've got this one under control.")

The thing that struck me most is this: when I have similar conversations with God, I am acting just like Ananias did. I assume that I see the entire situation, I presume to understand who, what, where and how. Like Ananias, I overlook the fact that God is always working behind the scenes: softening hearts, changing the variables, working in all things for the good of those who love Him. I can trust that when God gives me specific instruction it's because He's been working specifically to make a place for me to be effective. (To be totally honest, though, I'd really like God to give me the street address of where I'm supposed to go!) :-)

Why is it so easy to forget that God never sleeps, that God is always at work, that nothing is impossible with God? Why is it so easy to presume that what we think we know is all there is to know? Why do we act like "walking in faith" means knowing exactly what is in our future? Faith is not only "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see," faith is trusting that God is in control and we can walk in places where we know we do not see the entire situation or understand the details of what God is orchestrating.

We will never be able to comprehend, or even imagine how God works in every situation, understands every variable and knows ahead of time every possible outcome, and ultimately chooses the best possible one from an eternal perspective. We just need to walk in faith, knowing that God loves us and He won't set us up to fail Him. He's working in ways we can't imagine, using unlikely people to do extraordinary things. The really cool thing is that we might just be that unlikely person He's chosen! :-)

Thanks for being my friends, and for listening to my rambles!
-Carmen Powell