Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Overcoming Challenges with God’s strength 

Bible Reading: Isaiah 40:29-31

Key verse: “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 faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) 

DEVOTION

 Sometimes the hardest thing we can do as a Christian is to hope. We all live in a variety of circumstances with a variety of struggles and a variety of pains and blessings, yet the only thing that allows us to proceed further, to overcome, to see tomorrow, is hope. For this reason, the Prophet Isaiah says "those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength." But sometimes this is hard to imagine what this looks like - what does it truly mean to hope in the Lord? Some translations of the Bible use the word wait to describe the act of keeping hope in the Lord. Many times, our act of hope is simply that - waiting. However in our waiting sometimes we grow impatient, sometimes we grow anxious, and sometimes we might grow frustrated. These feelings are valid, and we must acknowledge when these feelings exist because they do not simply just go away. However, we can let these feelings go, we can give them up and offer them to the Lord. When we offer up the difficult circumstances, feelings, and emotions we experience, we enter a state of humility in front of the Lord. Notice how Isaiah says “renew their strength.” We have strength given to us from God, sometimes all we need to do is remove the things that cover up our true strength - whether it be our impatience, our anxiety, or our frustrations. Offer it up to God!

PRAYER

: Dear God, we know how hard it is sometimes for us to wait and keep hope in all that You have promised us. We offer up all that which may prevent us from renewing our strength in You, that we may be found humble in Your sight. Only You know what is best for us, help us to reconcile Your will with ours. All this we ask in Your holy and precious name. Amen 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

“I am sure that God keeps no one waiting unless He sees that it is good for him to wait.” - C.S. Lewis 


 Mercy Babu, St. John’s Mar Thoma Church, NY

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