Isaiah 40:27-31
Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
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 be faint.
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The scriptures tell us to "call upon the Name of the Lord" (Joel 2:32). Words made famous by Hillsong.
Have you ever called upon His name, asked to be lifted out of the miry clay, pleaded to soar above the storm, (yes, Hillsong has a lot to answer for) but after you say "amen" and open your eyes, you are still in the clay, the storm still rages... have you ever been there? Have you ever called out to the Lord, for even basic things that a loving father would provide... like provision, shelter, safety, peace... and then, wonder where all those prayers went?
There are things which I have been praying for since the day I became a Christian, things very close to my heart, things which keep me awake at night and make me the nervy person that I am. Things that are not outrageous nor selfish, things that I suppose many people even take for granted. I am still waiting for those prayers to be answered. (I still don't feel comfortable talking about it publicly, but those who know me well, would know what I am talking about.) Each time I allow myself to have a little hope, something happens that makes me wonder if my prayers ever reached higher than the ceiling. As I type this, my family is in disarray again, my mother is in pieces mentally and physically, and I'm finding it impossible to prepare for the final exam of my degree, in just a few days time.
My scripture readings this week lead me to the book of Acts. And I was struck by one thing - the perpetual motion of the Holy Spirit. Whether the disciples are preaching, or praying, or locked up in a prison cell... or simply walking along a road... the Holy Spirit is always moving... the disciples were merely floating buoys, caught up by the wave of the Holy Spirit. They didn't always realise it at the time, but the Holy Spirit was always moving, always in motion, always working. Paul worked hard, but the Spirit worked harder. As Isaiah 40:28 tells us: [The LORD] does not grow tired or weary. And though it seems like Paul is the main character of the book of Acts, the main stakeholder is the Spirit.
And yet, Paul suffered.
He received the Jewish punishment of 39 lashes, five times (195 lashes in total). Beaten with rods 3 times, stoned once, shipwrecked 3 times, spent one night and one day on the open sea, constantly on the move, often gone without food or drink... and, let us not forget, he started out his days as a Christian in total blindness. (See Acts 9; 2 Corinthians 11:24-29) Throughout his ministry, he spent nearly 6 years of it in prison in total. Did he not call upon the Name of the Lord? I have a suspicion that among the long list of things Paul would have prayed about, safety and peace would have been on the list. He was willing to suffer for the gospel, but surely he would said to the Lord: "Lord, let them not riot today." Though he was willing to suffer, I suspect that, like us, being human, he would have prayed that the day go smoothly without anyone getting slandered or beaten or imprisoned. Those were not improper things to ask for - surely they were things a good father, who likes to give good gifts, will grant his child. I wonder if he felt as frustrated, broken, and defeated as I feel.
And yet, in the midst of all these sufferings, he wrote the following words: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed... Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4)
"Therefore we do not lose heart." Those words can't have come easily to Paul, just like this blog article is not easy for me to write. Those words were not idle words... because a few chapters later he starts listing out his sufferings.
That is the challenge issued to us today. God promises that He is in perpetual motion, that He is working for our good, and He does not grow faint or weary. The promise is unchanging. The promise is uncompromised, no matter how compromised the circumstances may be. He invites us to trust Him. He invites us to have faith. He challenges us to not lose heart, no matter how many prayers have been unanswered, no matter how frustrated we feel, no matter how much we don't understand His ways. He challenges us to cling on to Him alone.
He does not grow tired or weary. Will you?
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