Louise Gevers

^“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 KJV

I will always be grateful for the book of Job in the Old Testament, because Job’s story gripped me at a tender age and I pondered it for many years before I came to understand that hardship and suffering could be not only positive, but a blessing. Through his immense personal suffering, the God-fearing Job reached the greatest blessing of all: to know himself and God more intimately – “but now I have seen you with my own eyes” (Job 42:5) - and to hear God’s own words of affirmation of his righteousness. (See Job 42:7-9)

When things seem hard and we feel too small or weak to handle them, this is when we need someone strong on our side that has compassion for us in our plight. Isaiah 40 is a chapter full of comfort from God’s heart that brings encouragement to His people. Hard times are a fact of life and come to everyone in varying degrees at different times, but it’s how we respond to them that makes us or breaks us. Whether we’re out of work, in a toxic relationship, nursing an ill family member, or trying to calm a crying baby night after night, we can be driven to the end of our energy, but that also creates a fertile field for faith to grow.

A preacher I once heard said that faith is only being exercised when a person is in such dire circumstances that he is hanging onto God by the fingernails. It’s then that he is most sensitive to what God is saying to him and most ready to grow in faith. It’s logical that if we have something within easy reach that it takes away the need for faith. Believing actively in something that cannot be seen is faith, because it is the “evidence of things that we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1) and becomes a blessing from God. 

Problems of homelessness, poverty, sickness, divorce, death, addictions, and alienation - to name a few - are also hardships over which we have no control and bring with them despair. Yet whatever our hardship, when we know that the Lord is on our side we can trust in His unfailing love and He will always give us new strength to carry us. “Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard? The LORD is the everlasting God; he created all the world. He never grows tired or weary. No one understands his thoughts. He strengthens those who are weak and tired.” (Isaiah 40:28-29) His heart is for His people.

 “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26), so let us cling to God in prayer, dig into His Word and practise obedience and kindness as we wait on Him to bless us.

Prayer: “To you, O LORD, I offer my prayer; in you, my God, I trust. Teach me your ways, O LORD; make them known to me. Teach me to live according to your truth, for you are my God who saves me. I always trust in you.” (Psalm 25:1-2, 4-5) Thank you that you turn my hardship into blessing and my weakness into strength. Amen