Focus: Spiritual Renewal

Text: Isa.40:31

"But 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."

The year has come full circle and a brand new one is about to begin. In readiness for the new year, we need to have our spiritual strength renewed.

The secret of this fresh strength lies in waiting on God. It is only those who wait on their God that encounter new energies. The Hebrew word for 'wait' signifies strands of rope twisted together to form a strong and solid rope or thread. Our spiritual strength is a result of our union with God. We tie ourselves together around God with the rope of hope. Our faith or trust in God is a kind of rope with which we have bound ourselves together. By so doing, we lose our weakness and gain the strength of God.

The waiting is more of activity than passivity. Through faith we become actively patient. We are busy twisting ourselves around God, gathering momentum, and tapping into the boundless energy of God. By waiting on God, we gather, accumulate, or increase strength.

The word 'wait' also means hope - trusting God with a high degree of expectation. It is a confident hope by which our weakness fizzles away even as our strength sizzles.

If you read through certain Scriptures you will discover that those who wait on the Lord get to renew their strength, get saved by God, and get to inherit the land (Isa.40:31; Prov.20:22; Ps.37:9,34).

As God mercifully and graciously brings us through into the new year, we need new energy to achieve God's grand purpose. We need new strength for a new day. Micah says, "But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin" (Mic.3:8). 

For every assignment God gives, there is adequate equipment or proportionate power for it. Power is given for service to be rendered and for a task to be done.

It is time for us to renew our strength, and it is by tying ourselves around God with the rope of faith and hope that our strength is forged and our weakness is exchanged or transformed into a force. Our weakness is clothed with power to the extent that we walk and run without ever getting tired. We see ourselves develop eagle's wings and soaring in the sky. We rise to new heights in the spiritual realm as we wait on the Lord. Jeremiah declares, "The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him" (Lam.3:25). 

It is time for us to wait on and look for our God. The strength we need is only found in Him. The world parades fleshly strength; what we need is strength of the Lord. So wait on God; wrap yourself around Him! Unite with Him! Rely on Him! Look for Him! Look up to Him! Look steadfastly on Him! Spend quality time with Him! Interact with Him! Get a word from Him! Hear His voice and catch His revelation! Get poised for exploits in the name of the Lord! The new year starts from tomorrow, and you need unction to function in it. You need dimensions of vision - sight, insight, hindsight, and foresight.

Bishop Moses E. Peter