Friday Evening Devotionals

Pray for Wings

Tom Barnard

 

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 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 40:29-31 NIV)

 

“We are not meant to trudge sadly along as victims of our problems.

God has equipped us with wings to soar above them.”

David Jeremiah

 

In the past two months I have come to understand what it means to be weary and faint. Anyone who has gone through rotator-cuff surgery will tell you more than you ever want to know about pain and loss of strength that accompanies this medical procedure. Physical therapy for shoulder surgery is painful and tedious. But to renew your strength, you have to dedicate yourself to the process. Fun days are behind; stressful days are ahead. But in time, strength does return. At least, that is what my medical people tell me. My physical therapist keeps a record of each gain that I make. I have had a few setbacks, but they have been overcome through patience and practice.

 

David Jeremiah tells the story of how Hall of Fame basketball star, Bill Russell, overcame the fear of failure. “(He) used to keep his own personal scorecard. He graded himself after every game on a scale of one to one hundred. In his career, he never achieved more than sixty-five. Given the way most of us are taught to think about goals, we would regard Russell as an abject failure. The poor soul played in twelve hundred ball games and never achieved his standard. Yet it was striving for that standard that made him one of the greatest men ever to play the game.” (Life Wide Open, Integrity Publishers, 2003, p. 127)

 

Continually “striving for that standard” of excellence is what it takes. Make it your goal in life. Begin now.

 

Heavenly Father, I needed Isaiah’s words today. I am prone to grade myself against what I see in others. Instead of asking for wings to soar, I have a tendency to ask for a rope to hang on and survive whatever challenging project I have undertaken. Lift my sights to the skies. Give me courage to pursue that lofty goal. In the strong name of Jesus I pray. Amen