Read: Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand,” (Isaiah 41:10).
This is God’s promise to His chosen ones, Israel. But could this promise be for us as well, the church? Absolutely yes! We’re assured of God’s calling and election unto us. God called us through His sent one in the end time.
However, as discussed in the devotional before this one, entitled Groaning for the Future Glory, as we wait for our blessed hope, we have yet to deal with the fact that we are living in a sinful world, and that we ourselves are still in our earthly bodies that are prone to weaknesses and imperfections. That is why we groan inwardly for the day of our complete release.
There are times, however, that waiting becomes challenging. What are the challenges of waiting for our hope of glory?
For one, impatience. We indeed can become impatient. But the Bible says that we should be patient, because in reality, God is being patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9).
Secondly, weariness. At other times, we may become wearied and tired out waiting for our glorification, our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. But the word of God says we just come to Him and we will find rest for our souls (Matthew 11:28).
Isaiah 40:31 says that God renews the strength of those who wait upon Him, meaning those whose hope is in Him
Third, our personal disappointments make our waiting extremely hard. Too many times we are bogged down by our many weaknesses, and we get disappointed with ourselves. We are then tempted to think that we cannot do it, that we are simply not cut out to endure and to wait. The promise of God is that we should not fret, because His grace is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9). God is patient with us and He is gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love. His goodness and love should attract us to Him, not repulse (Psalm 103:8).
And lastly, apostasy. The worst scenario that could happen is that we fall out of grace completely and fall back, meaning backslide. First, we should try our best not to allow this to happen. Apostasy does not happen overnight. Know the signs of emerging apostasy and aggressively deal with it. But if you are one who has backslidden, know that God is gracious and merciful. He is just waiting for you to return.
The parable of the prodigal son teaches us that God is always willing to forgive, and that He is always waiting for you to return to Him. He who called us will also uphold us.
Just as God provided for our greatest need, which is salvation, even while we were His enemies, God will also sustain us as we are now in Him.
We are now in this special relationship with Him, and His love is the guarantee of our hope in Him. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35). God renews the strength of those who wait upon Him, meaning those whose hope is in Him (Isaiah 40:31).
Let us, therefore, trust in God and in His plan for His children (Jeremiah 29:11), and let us be patient (James 5:7-8). You can be patient when you trust.
Always tap on the grace that is readily available for us until that day comes when we will no longer have to deal with this fallen world and our fallen state.
Left on our own, we are unable to sustain ourselves. But we praise God because God is a gracious God. He gave us His Holy Spirit to help us. To guide, teach, lead, remind, counsel, and convict us. He helps us as well in our prayers, He teaches us how to pray. And through our daily prayer, we are renewed in our strength.
Reflect:
Like sufficient gas or electricity that enables a vehicle to keep going, God’s grace is sufficient for us until we come to the day of our complete deliverance. What are the implications of this truth in your own personal walk with Christ?
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