Saturday, December 28, 2013

Why I Love the Verse Isaiah 40:31



I thought a lot about this verse this past week.  I especially love this verse for when I feel overwhelmed.

Last Friday, at our annual little Friday morning charity crafters' pot-luck brunch, some of us had little token gifts for each other.

Because we are crafty, some were hand made.

Because we are all ladies of faith, some related to our faith.

One of our members held out a handful of what appeared to be magnetic bookmarks. Each bookmark-sized magnet was inscribed with an uplifting bible verse or similar saying. We could each choose the one we wanted.

One had the Lord's Prayer; one had the 23rd Psalm. 

The one I took had Isaiah 40:31 printed on it. It is now on my fridge, at eye-level, where I can see it many times each day.

If you are not familiar with this verse, you can find it at the Bible Gateway. This  site lets you search for the book, chapter and verse of your choice, in 9 or 10 languages and in over 100 versions of the Bible.  You can even search a simple topic, such as "hunger." If you don't know the verse, just type in as much of it as you can remember, and choose from the results.

For me, Isaiah 40:31 means that no matter how tired I am, no matter how foggy my brain from trying to figure something out, no matter how much I feel that once I sit down, it will take me days to get back up, when I recall this verse, I feel strengthened.  

 It's not just strength, but the feeling of stamina and staying power that this verse gives to me.

Just a deep breath, to "wait upon the Lord," for however long I feel I need to wait for that strength, and I can once again rise up, run (well, not literally) and not grow weary, walk and not faint. I can do what I need to do and finish the task.
 
Father, thank you for all the words of guidance in the Bible, for all those people centuries ago who wrote those words, and for those in my life who guided me to these words.       

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