“What delight comes to the one who follows God’s ways! He will be standing firm like a flourishing tree planted by God’s design, deeply rooted by the brooks of bliss, bearing fruit in every season of life. He is never dry, never fainting, ever blessed, ever prosperous.” (Psalm 1:1, 3 TPT)
I was cleaning this weekend and found a whole shelf of books I have purchased and haven’t read yet. As I looked through the books I was reminded that I bought them for a purpose – to strengthen my spiritual walk. While they may look good on a shelf, or help to collect the dust, they are not fulfilling their purpose if I don’t read them and glean what God wants to say to me. Why haven’t I read them? It’s easy to say I’ve been
“too busy.” This fall, especially, has been a strange conglomeration of choices and circumstances that, taken in whole, have been “a bit too much.” I have several large projects coming up next calendar year and I have no illusions that I will be “less busy.” However, tending my spiritual life gives me strength to face everything else.
Two verses I’ve been memorizing and trying to internalize are:
“Your progress will have no limits when you come along with me, and you will never stumble as you walk along the way.” (Proverbs 4:12 TPT)
and
“She equips herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] And makes her arms strong.” (Proverbs 31:17 AMP)
Strength comes from God. The writer of Isaiah 40:31 (AMP) said it this way: “But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] Will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired.” While we often focus on God as our help when we are weary (and he is!!), the first part of this verse speaks of waiting on God in order to receive his strength. In other translations that word is translated hope or trust. Folded into that waiting is the spiritual fruit of patience – persevering, enduring. This trusting, waiting, hoping in God while we are patient in our persevering and enduring is not necessarily easy work.
For me, this time change is an opportunity for a new start, a new season, a reset. It’s not New Year’s or even the first Sunday of the Christian year at Advent, but I’m going to use the time change to reset some things in my life. Getting up an hour before the moon goes to bed means having time to exercise, write, pray, and read those books to tend my spiritual life. Purposing to do these things will gain me greater physical, mental, emotional and spiritual strength to work vigorously at my God-given tasks. My progress will have no limits when I go along with God.
It’s the first Monday of November, 2023. Would you join me in persevering, enduring, and patience-stretching efforts that will result in more hope, trust, and strength for us both?
Strong God,
Thank you for your Word that continues to call us to relationship with you. Thank you for points in the course of our years when our self-examination can help us reset our spiritual lives to be closer in tune with your Spirit. Thank you for the call to strengthen our abilities to hope and trust you. Help us wait for you and gain new strength and power so we have the strength and fitness for our God-given tasks. Help us delight in you, and stand firm, bearing fruit in every season of life. We ask in Jesus’s name, AMEN.