Passage of the Day: 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.
My Journal for Today: Today’s verse is one of the classic scriptures documenting the strength that can be available to the believer who has complete trust and hope in an all-powerful, omnipotent God. So, if we desire to …“soar on [His] wings like eagles …,” what must be our (my) response to an omnipotent God? And I’m going to list the factors of pursuit which my devotional Shepherd, Dr. MacArthur, lists; … and if you’re following along, get your Bibles out – or maybe your PC or smart phone with a Bible App - and be ready to seek out the biblical support for each point.
>>> Well, in MacArthur’s devotional for this date in Strength for Today, the first element in my capturing God’s power is to recognize that I am God’s workmanship and that I live for His glory (see Eph. 2: 10).
>>> Next, I must place ALL my hope in the One Who can do far more than I could ever imagine to shape me into a reflection of Christlikeness (see Eph. 3: 20 and Phil. 1: 6).
>>> Thirdly, I must recognize that I am only strong in Christ (see Phil. 4: 13), not in myself; and He makes me strong even when I am weak because of the grace I have available to me in Christ (you guessed it – I hope! … 2nd Cor. 12: 9).
>>> Next, I should rest assured in the comfort of God’s power (see Ps. 121: 1 – 2) and be uplifted by His glory (as in today’s verse).
>>> Fifthly, I must be surrendered to recognize that I have found victory over my flesh (see Eph. 6: 10), over sin through His Word (see Ps. 119: 9), and over the world with a power in my heart that is greater than my spiritual enemies (see 1st John 4: 4).
>>> And finally, being humbled by God’s majesty and holiness (see Prov. 3: 34), I must know that I’m nothing without my God (John 15: 5); … but with Him, I am everything that is declared in today’s verse.
And so, I hope you either know all those biblical support references by heart or you’ve looked them up to check me out; and having meditated on these truths, you’ve been lifted up to capture God’s strength and power for your life. It is a wondrous thing for the believer, humbled and surrendered to God, to realize, as my salvation verse (i.e., Phil. 4: 13) proclaims, that I truly can do all things in Christ, Who gives me His strength. And then, realizing that power is in me, I can let God’s power be the wind beneath my wings.
And this morning, in an attempt to be lifted up by God’s strength in my spirit, I was led – by God’s Spirit, I believe – to remember a song, performed by one of my favorite singers, Josh Groban, which expresses most, if not all, of what I’m trying to share today. Therefore, to close out my time with God, having gone to this song on my Ipod, let me link you to a You Tube version (by clicking on this link). I hope (and pray) that you’ll be lifted high enough, by God’s Spirit and this song at this time, to soar like eagles above the wind and storms of circumstances, given the power of God’s wind beneath your wings.
My Prayer Today: Lord, with YOUR POWER I am an eagle soaring in the heavens. Amen
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