Running On Empty

I've been feeling run down now for weeks. 

 

I keep tip-toeing to the edge of a full-blown cold/flu/throat infection combo and then, at the last minute, I step back from the brink.

 

Still, whilst I haven't actually succumbed to the bugs, I am exhausted.  I wake up and I feel tired.  I go to bed and I feel tired.  I feel as though I am running on empty.

 

But God doesn't tire.  He is constant and faithful.  And what's more, if we turn to Him and trust in Him, we will not grow tired either.  We will find new strength.

 

 

        "The Lord is the everlasting God,
        the Creator of the ends of the earth.
        He will not grow tired or weary,
        and his understanding no one can fathom.
        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;
        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."

 

        [Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV]

 

 

When we are running on empty, when we are weak, when we are tired, God will always restore us and lift us up again.

 

 

 

 

'Twas The Night Before Christmas

Call me crazy, but I think I prefer Christmas Eve to Christmas Day.

I love going to a nativity service, I love going to midnight mass, I love preparing delicious food. I love seeing friends and family and starting to exchange gifts. I love wrapping presents and putting them under the tree.

I love all of the preparations.

I love the feeling of excitement and anticipation as it gets closer to Christmas Day.

But when it comes to spiritual preparations - preparing my heart for the arrival of the Messiah - I'm not sure I'm as excited or organised.

When Isaiah is prophesying the arrival of the Messiah, he says,

"Thunder in the desert! 'Prepare for God's arrival! Make the road straight and smooth, a highway fit for our God. Fill in the valleys, level off the hills, smooth out the ruts, clear out the rocks. Then God's bright glory will shine and everyone will see it. Yes. Just as God has said.'"

[Isaiah 40:3-5 MSG]

I love this line in the carol 'Joy To The World'

"Let every heart prepare him room."

Whilst I'm finishing off my final preparations this evening, I want to give myself time to prepare my heart as well, and to make sure I prepare Him room.

Strength Will Rise

I always struggle at this time of year.

When it's dark by the time I get home from work and it's cold outside, all I feel like doing in the evenings is curling up on the sofa with a film or a good book or taking a nap.

I feel so lethargic and sleepy.

I feel tired and weary.

And I wonder if I will ever feel energetic again.

The Bible talks about these feelings of exhaustion and shows us that God can restore our energy when we are run down and worn out.

"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; 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."

[Isaiah 40:29-31 NIV]

I long to run and not grow weary and to walk and not be faint. But that only comes when I trust in the Lord and put my hope in Him.

I need to trust in Him and rely on His strength, instead of relying on my own.

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord.

Levelling The Ground

I thought the building work opposite my flat had come to a bit of a stand-still when I glanced out of the window earlier.  I couldn't see any builders and there was no obvious work going on.

 

However I soon realised that, whilst things near my flat have stopped, the builders have been focusing their attention on the opposite end of the building site.  The building site is on a hill and the ground is much lower at the opposite end. 

 

Whilst they have stopped work at my end (or have slowed down at least), they have been working frantically at the opposite end to make the ground level.  They have built the foundations up by about 10 feet, so that the flats will be level.

 

I have written a lot about building and construction work lately and about the need to have firm foundations. 

 

Sometimes that means levelling the ground - sanding down the bits that are too tall and building up the bits that are lacking.  Sometimes we have uneven ground and we need to fill in the gaps before we can start building.

 

The Bible talks about making the ground level -

 

      "Every valley shall be raised up,
      every mountain and hill made low;
      the rough ground shall become level,
      the rugged places a plain."

 

      [Isaiah 40:4 NIV]

 

I feel that I have needed to raise up lots of valleys and make a lot of rough ground level recently, so that I can start building again.  But I can't do it myself.  I need God to be my builder. 

 

 

 

 

 

Tired

As the nights are drawing in and the mornings are getting darker, I find myself feeling increasingly tired and less satisfied with the amount of sleep I've had.  And it feels as though there's more to do and more to try and cram in to the time I've got.

 

Life seems to take more effort and more energy in the winter.

 

Perhaps it's because naturally we feel that we ought to start hibernating, doing less and resting more. 

 

But there is always so much to do.  And so little time in which to do it.  And it's at times like these I wish I had just an extra hour or two in the day so that I could stay on top of things and not feel exhausted.

 

But the Bible tells us that when we are weary and worn-out, God will always refresh us and restore our energy.  He will give us the strength to keep going:

 

        "[God] doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath.
        And he knows everything, inside and out.
        He energizes those who get tired,
        gives fresh strength to dropouts.
        For even young people tire and drop out,
        young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
        But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
        They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
        They run and don’t get tired,
        they walk and don’t lag behind."

 

         [Isaiah 40:29-32 MSG]

 

But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.

 

When I'm pressed for time and have a lot to get done, the last thing I feel like doing is waiting.  For anyone.  It makes me irritable and cross and annoyed, and I don't usually hide these feelings.

 

But perhaps it is when we feel most pressurised, most anxious, most overwhelmed with everything that there is to do, and the lack of energy that we have, that we should turn to God and wait for Him to refresh us.

 

And somehow, paradoxically, the more time we spend on Him, resting in His presence and waiting for Him to reveal Himself, the more time and energy we will find we have, to get everything else done.

 

Those who wait upon God get fresh strength.