Follow The Leader

I had a professor in college who liked to teach life lessons as well as impart knowledge. By using real life applications for the facts that he presented, he kept a class of freshmen interested for an entire semester. When it came time for our final exam, he told us it would be a two-part test. The first part was a written exercise that we were to complete before class. The second was a 100 essay question exam to be taken in four hours. The first statement on the exam was an instruction to read through the entire list of questions, and then begin. As you have probably guessed, the last statement was an instruction to place our name and the time of day at the top of the page and sit until he asked for our papers. Those who followed instructions finished in less than five minutes.

Isaiah 40
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
       and increases the power of the weak.

 ³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
       and young men stumble and fall;

 ³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
       will renew their strength.
       They will soar on wings like eagles;
       they will run and not grow weary,
       they will walk and not be faint.

At the end of his song of praise for the comfort God wants to give His people, Isaiah offers a word of hope to a weary nation. After years of war and unrest, God’s people are in a period of relative calm, but Isaiah knows how the Israelites are. He knows they tend to drift away from God when times get better. He also knows that the Babylonian captivity is coming in the not so distant future. As a result, he gives them this song of praise for God’s goodness and protection.

After his prayer for comfort and his discourse on the qualifications of Almighty God to take care of His people in all circumstances, Isaiah throws in a word of caution. The times ahead are going to be trying times. Even the invincibility of youth will not keep them from the effects of the battle. The only source of strength available to God’s people comes from God Himself. If they don’t depend on this source of energy, they will give up and the battle will be lost.

Then comes the good news! God has already provided the supply necessary for the victory. The trick to tapping in to this supply is making sure that God is out front, and He can’t lead if we are continually running ahead to see what is around the next bend. The expert marksman carefully prepares his equipment, looks down the firing range for his target, methodically places the crosshairs on the bulls-eye, and then gently squeezes the trigger. Ready – Aim – Fire. As Christians, our tendency seems to be that we hear about the target practice and start shooting. Fire – not ready or aim – and wonder why the target has no holes in it.

God tells us that if we wait on Him, not only will we find the strength we need for the task ahead, but He will also provide the victory. If we walk in His footsteps, the ground is already prepared.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!

Proverbs 26
¹² Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?
       There is more hope for a fool than for him.