But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 NLT)
A New Year is once again beginning, which usually means we want to make a fresh start, a new beginning and hopefully do things better this year than we did last year.
We rushed around before Christmas stressing out over all sorts of things which really have nothing to do with Jesus’ birth.
As children, we counted down the days until Christmas morning when we would wake up and jump out of bed to open presents. As adults, we run around madly baking and buying last minute stuff to share with our family and friends.
But then, after the celebrations are over, we clean up and wonder why we went to all that trouble since we are left tired and flat.
In the text above, Isaiah points out that if we have faith and hope in the Lord, we will be able to draw on the strength and peace that only God can give as we start a New Year.
We might think this passage is just for saints and those who spent all their time working for the Lord, but no condition is listed, no required criteria for our tiredness and fatigue. God’s promise is for all “who trust in the Lord.“
Maybe we are weary from days of endless stress at work or at home. Or perhaps we are coping with illness or family tensions that leave us exhausted. It could be through a feeling of loneliness or perhaps the opposite – too many people crowding in and making demands on us.
The Good News is, God wraps us in His loving arms and lifts us up so we can face another day — all year long.
Prayer: Father, we awake to this new year, knowing that You will be beside us and alive in us each moment of every day. As this year unfolds, give us the strength and the peace that we need to keep going so that we may live a life of joy as You so wish us to have. Thank you, Lord, that every moment is a new beginning, not just the start of a new year, and helps us to soar on wings of eagles when we become weary. Amen.
[by Terry Stead, adapted by Howard Olver]