Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31
Over the past couple of months my life has been on a bit of a crazy roller coaster. As followers of Christ we’re told that we’ll face trials and tribulations in life and that God is faithful to sustain his children, but it’s not until we’re actually walking through those trials we experience the power of God’s hand at work. In faith we embrace a lot of what Scripture says until it is up and working in our lives.
The verses I posted above have been my favorites since I was a child. The imagery of soaring like an eagle is something that took my breath away thinking about God. Words like these portray God as the ultimate superhero he truly is, able to do all and anything he wills. That these verses show God our superhero giving us his strength is a reminder of the awesomeness of his grace and inspires such strong devotion in my heart.
Drawing on God’s strength became a reality to me as my girlfriend was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and faced subsequent surgeries to remedy the disease in her body. In spite of the fact that I was reminded about the effectiveness of the treatment for this type of cancer, it still rocked my world to think I could potentially lose the woman I love. Even more difficult than that was the treatment process. Watching someone you love in pain, feeling weak, and struggling to find joy breaks your heart. It made me feel helpless on one level. But through this trial I was reminded of the power of prayer, the security in God’s Word, and the joy found in the company of fellow believers.
It was also during this period of time God strengthened my heart to be the godly man my girlfriend needed during this time. In facing fears, insecurities, restlessness within my heart and being brought back to God’s grace to find relief I learned a lot about being a man of faith through the fire. There were moments when I fell short, when I was “weary” and “fell exhausted,” but God used those moments to make His name greater in my life.
Out of this great trial, God also grew the love in my relationship with Melissa. Our hearts were knit together in a powerful and special way, and the woman who was once my girlfriend is now my fiancé. Through this trial we’ve been equipped with powerful tools to serve one another in love. It’s not that we’ve achieve a state of relationship perfection, but we’ve seen firsthand God’s powerful working in our lives with us together as a unit.
As I begin a new chapter in life, I am so thankful that my superhero Savior is also the author of my love story. He gave me new strength and endurance to serve him in ways I had only imagined in dreams built on faith.
