This journey of faith can be trying at times. There will be days when we want to give up. There will be times when we feel like we have nothing left to give. But the question is, what will we do in those moments? Will we give in to our weariness? Will we give up on the promises of God? Or will we press forward? We will make the decision that no matter how hard it gets, we will never give up? This is a question that we will have to answer over and over again on this journey. But scripture reminds us that if we keep going…If we choose to never give in, we will reap the blessings of God.
So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. (Galatians 6:9 NLT)
Still…this is easier said than done. There have been times when I lacked the energy…days when I didn’t have the mental capacity to even encourage myself, let alone walk in faith. So what did I do? First, I remembered my why.
When I look back on the fight for my marriage…I can remember that I constantly reminded myself that the fight was bigger than me. I wasn’t just fighting for myself, but I was fighting for my family…my children, and my husband. I was committed to breaking the generational curse of divorce that had been lingering in our family for way too long. I wanted my children to experience a wholeness that I wasn’t able to experience as a child. I wanted them to know what love looks like…and I wanted them to have a front row seat– a personal experience of the miracles of God. Remembering my why gave me a reason to keep going.
What is your why?
Why did you begin this journey? Was it because you’re tired of living in brokenness? Are you determined to break generational curses? Are you tired of living beneath the promise that God has for your life? If you can remember your why, you will be giving yourself a reason to never give up.
I can honestly say that my why kept me moving forward on the days that I had nothing left to give. It was my motivation to dig deeper…to find a new strength that I’ve never had before.
Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31 NLT)
When we trust in the Lord in the middle of our weariness, we will find new strength.
This is my favorite scripture, and it is the one that I recited over and over again as I walked in faith. Because, as I said, I didn’t have the energy. But I knew the One who never grows weak or weary. I knew the One that could give me the strength that I didn’t have. It was a supernatural strength…one that was not my own. Even now, I look back and I am amazed that I was able to keep going. If I told you everything I had to go through for my family to be where we are today, you wouldn’t believe me. But that is the power of God at work. He never gets weary, and He can enable us to be strong through our own weariness.
In times of weariness, remember that your Father is never weary. He has an endless strength, and He wants to impart that strength to you. He wants to give you the ability to do things that you’ve never done before. He wants to give you the ability to wait on Him, as He continues to move in your life. So do what His word says and trust in Him. But what does that look like?
Trusting the Lord means being completely honest with Him.
It means leaning on Him…it means giving all of our burdens to Him. We must give Him our fears and insecurities, and also our guilt, shame, and disappointments. When we do this, we allow Him to come into those areas of our lives…we allow Him to heal us, strengthen us, and enable us to move forward.
Now, I want to take a few moments to discuss just how vital honesty is in our relationship with God. Think of any other relationship…how can we say that we trust someone, if we can’t be honest with them…if we can't trust them enough to express how we truly feel?
Honesty leads to intimacy. Dishonesty drives a wedge.
This is true for any relationship, but it's crucial that we understand this in regards to our relationship with God. Any time we hide our feelings from Him, we are distancing ourselves from Him. But when we express how we truly feel, we are drawing closer to Him, and He draws nearer to us. This is where God heals us. This is where He gives us a new strength. This is where He enables us to keep moving forward, so that we never give up.
Whatever you’re feeling…take it to Him. Tell Him how hurt you are. Tell Him how disappointed you are. He will never turn a blind eye to one of His children crying out for help. He draws nearer to us, as we bring our brokenness to Him. Yes, it may be hard…yes, it may feel weak. But He can only give us His strength when we share our weakness with Him.
The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help. (Psalms 34:15 NLT)
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. (Psalms 34:18 NLT)
That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10 NLT)
When we share our weaknesses with our Father, He imparts His strength to us.
But what does His strength look like?
It looks like a single mom that’s at the end of her rope. She feels like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. She has no help…no one to run to…nothing left to give, but she doesn’t give up. Instead, she falls to her knees and cries out to her Father in heaven. She sits in His presence, and allows Him to breath new life into her. And then, she decides that she will fight another day.
Sometimes strength is just putting one foot in front of the other.
I want us to understand that this journey is not a sprint. It doesn’t matter how fast we’re moving. The only thing that matters is that we keep going…that we never give up. Our days of weariness are the days when God does His deepest work in us, and He uses this work to push us forward faster than we can imagine.
If you’re reading this, and you’re tired of the fight of faith, I want you to know that it’s okay. You don’t have to have it all together. You don’t have to have the strength to move forward, because there is a God that has all the strength that you need, and He wants to give you that strength today. He wants you to know that He sees you. He wants you to know that He’s with you. And He wants you to know that you can cast all your cares on Him. As you give your burdens to Him, He will give you a new strength so that you can keep pushing…keep moving…so that you will never give up.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for never leaving my side, and for reminding me that I can be honest and vulnerable with you. Today, I am making the decision to cast all my cares on you, because you are the One that cares for me. I believe that as I give my burdens to you, that you will heal my heart, transform my mind, and strengthen me for this journey that I am on. I declare that I will never give up…I will never give in. When I get weary…I will keep going...even if all I can do is put one foot in front of the other. I will fight. And I know that because you are by my side, that I will have the victory. I love you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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