Health issues, foreclosure and financial ruin, relationship conflicts, the loss of a loved one, the catastrophic impact of earthquakes, tsunamis, war and political unrest are becoming common experiences for people in every country of the world. Life Storms...
There
are times in each of our lives when the reserve strength that is so
readily available when we have faced other storms, is just not
accessible today...right now…for this hour. Where does spiritual
endurance come from, and how do we access it?
Endurance is Developed Over Time
In
long distance running, endurance is a state of being able to sustain
expenditures of energy, over a long period of time, and yet have a
reserve 'kick' for the final push to the finish line. Having a good
'kick' is the result of a rigorous daily training discipline.
The runner knows he has to disperse his energy a little at a time, so that he runs against his best time, and not the pace of the runners beside him. The Importance of Endurance
Endurance
in track and field is measured by how much overall strength and stamina
is needed to win the race, and when to tap into that 'kick' to be in it
to win it.
Coach Dean Hebert writes prolifically on the subject of track and field, and he is known throughout the running world. He states emphatically:
“A
well planned training program is essential, and no single workout will
make you a better runner or kicker. Kicking is a result of your
neuro-muscular training. The fastest kick does not necessarily go to the
one with the best VO2max, the one with the best lungs or biggest heart.
At the end of Olympic distance triathlons, marathons, and the Boston
marathon the runner with the best kick has won time and time again. The
ability to kick is a function of your training. If you do not train for a
kick, you will not have a strong one.”
(http://coachdeanhebert.wordpress.com/2007/07/22/the-runners-kick/makes )
The Storms of Life
In
life however, running the race is not so scientifically orchestrated,
mathematically calculated, or measured by a stop watch to assure the
best potential strategy for winning the race.
We Need The Quiet Place because Life is Unpredictable
On
the pathways of our lives, there is not always a warning as to when you
will face a Life Storm. We just know that we are to be ready to meet it
whenever it comes.
The Quiet Place Enables us to Prepare for Life Storms
Isaiah
the prophet lived at a time when God’s people were struggling to
survive between bondage and enslavement to the Assyrian Empire under
King Sennacherib, and a subsequent domination and captivity by the Babylonian Empire during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II.
They Believed that God did not Care
The people of Isaiah's day felt abandoned by God, and that He had forgotten about them.
The people of Isaiah's day felt abandoned by God, and that He had forgotten about them.
”Why
do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from
the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God" Isa. 40:27
They Forgot that God Never Changes
“I
the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not
destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away
from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return
to you,” says the LORD Almighty.” Malachi 3:5-7
In The Quiet Place:
We are Refreshed by God
"He
gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even
youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;" Isa.
40:29-30
None
of us will make it through this life without a list of regrets, wrong
choices and times of failure, especially when we remember our youth.
Thank you Lord for forgiveness and mercy.We Receive the Strength of God
" but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength, They will soar on wings like eagles" Isaiah 40:31a
Pausing to worship God in The Quiet Place in
the midst of a stressful, chaotic day is like taking that first sip of
refreshing cold water after a long dry run. He is right there... He is
ever present.
We have Renewed Hope From God
" they will run and not grow weary (yaga) they will walk and not be faint (ya`aph).” Isaiah 40-31b
A strong ‘Spiritual Kick’ is developed by drawing daily strength from God alone. He does not grow weary (yaga) …He does not faint (ya`aph)
or collapse under great duress. (Isa. 40:28). It enables us to pass on
through Life Storms and not collapse in the midst of them.
The Apostle Paul emphasized:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training?" 1 Cor. 9:23-24
For
the spiritual runner, it isn't merely a 26 mile marathon that is before
him. It is a lifetime run through dark valleys, traversing across
rugged high mountain trails, experiencing physical suffering,
loneliness, loss and always the struggle with the world, the flesh and
the devil.
A Daily Walk with God in The Quiet Place
Every moment that we spend in The Quiet Place,
sometimes not even speaking, but allowing God's Word, thorough His
Spirit, to cleanse our wounded hearts, we add sustainability to the
'kick' that we need when the storm is at it's peak and we are tempted to
give up.
“Brothers
and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But
one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is
ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has
called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-15
“Fixing
our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set
before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at
the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2
"I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding.” Psalm 119:32
Take a few moments to watch this video presentation of, "Even if" by Kutless
Take a few moments to watch this video presentation of, "Even if" by Kutless
