Renewal Options

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

In just a few hours, one year will give way to another. We have been taking stock of the old year, and making resolutions and commitments towards the new one. We will plan, we will have expectations, we will have hopes, dreams and ideas about how the new year will pan out.

Unfortunately, many will plan and hope without the help of the One person we cannot do without. Several will commit themselves to a higher purpose, without the help of the God of purpose. Many will journey into the unknown year without any help or input from the One who owns, knows and holds the  unknown. It is a continuous cycle that we repeat every year and it is not a surprise that nothing seems to work still.

What does God expect from us? The  key factor here is trust in God. Please do not use the word 'trust' lightly. It is not depending on God as one of many options. It is not taking God as a spare wheel, to be used only in emergencies or the failure of other key life components. He is not a fail-safe plan, a just-in-case option. He is the God who knows, holds, owns and controls all of life. He demands our total devotion and commitment. Picture this: when you get into a plane, do you doubt the ability of the pilot to get you to where you are headed? Won't you trust his knowledge and skill, confident in the fact that the pilot is well-trained in his profession? It is the same thing with God. Would you dare launch out into life without any help or input from God? Would you take a step into the unknown, without being confident that God is who he says he is and that he will hold you up and uphold you?

As I trust God, I find new strength. Day by day, I find inner grace to keep working, walking and rejoicing, even in the face of difficult circumstances. I keep at it, not because of my own convictions alone, but by the help of God himself. And as I trust God, he helps me through life's journey, without comparing me with anyone else or holding me up to another person's standards. I have a personal walk with God, and it is a walk according to his dictates, not mine, and according to his terms, not mine.

Whether I am soaring high on wings like eagles, or I am running or walking, I experience strength that is beyond my physical expectations. My physical limitations or the world's expectations of my ability is not the issue here. What I think I can achieve or where I think I should be is not the issue here. It is about where God says he is bringing me to, even as I walk with him and trust him completely. Irrespective of the stage of growth, I can never outgrow my dependence on and need for God. As I trust him for the years ahead, one thing is certain: the only way to survive is to trust God completely. Not halfway or almost all, but totally, completely and absolutely. Nothing less will work. His time of favour is here.