Strength from God

The Bible assures us, ''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.'' n1

n1 Isaiah 40:31.

Strength seems to come through eating and sleeping. And certainly these are legitimate needs. But God is the true and ultimate sustainer of our being. And we can begin to prove this.

Recently, while assisting another, I went through several days and nights with almost no sleep. At times a feeling of exhaustion swept over me. But on each occasion I turned to God for strength, and His love filled me with the alertness and inspiration to carry on. By prayerfully and humbly turning to God, I came to realize that I was, in reality, His ever-fresh, indestructible creation. I realized that at no time was God sending me weariness.

Two passages written by Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, came to thought several times: ''Whatever it is your duty to do, you can do without harm to yourself,'' n2 and, ''The highest and sweetest rest, even from a human standpoint, is in holy work.'' n3

n2 Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 385.

n3 Ibid., pp. 519-520.

These passages brought comforting assurance. I was sure that aiding my friend was ''holy work,'' and that I was entitled to feel rested. And I did.

Prior to this time, whenever I had slept little during the night I would spend the next day with a ''heavy-headed'' feeling. On this occasion there were no such symptoms, and several times since then I have been called on to be actively helping another through the night, and have experienced no suffering the next day.

In the Bible there are a number of accounts of individuals who waited upon God to renew their strength. The Old Testament tells of the prophet Elijah journeying many days and nights without a normal amount of food and water. n4 He learned to depend completely on God to meet his needs. Luke reports one of perhaps many occasions when our Master, Christ Jesus, spent an entire night in prayer to God, and then spent a full day teaching and healing. n5

n4 See I Kings 19:5-8.

n5 See Luke 6:12-19.

God is the only genuine source of life, and the life that God gives us is not weak; it's not subservient to the whims of the flesh. Time does not govern and dictate terms to man. God vests man with unending dominion. Realizing this, coming to feel it as the reality of our being, we'll be able to accomplish whatever is necessary and right for us to do.

Fatigue often stems from unnecessary pursuits. If one is constantly feeling drained and is just ''hanging in there,'' he might ask himself which activities in his week are truly necessary, purposeful, and God-honoring. Surely God, the loving author of all life, gives us the strength to glorify and honor Him throughout each day.

I have found that the vigor needed to accomplish a necessary task always begins with ''waiting upon the Lord.'' When I turn to willfulness and physicality, the assignment usually becomes a burden. But as I look away from the physical limitations to God, an inspiring idea or view of spiritual truth comes that refreshes and rejuvenates.

Prayer always renews and enables us to press forward with greater joy, vision , and strength. No matter how challenging the situation appears to be, if we are doing what is necessary and right, we can turn to God and ''mount up with wings as eagles.'' DAILY BIBLE VERSE The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace. Psalms 29:11