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

I was recently in Portland, Oregon, and drove over to the coast.  Cannon Beach is a quaint, albeit touristy, beach town with a plethora of shops and art galleries.  While meandering through this charming hamlet was fun, I enjoyed the walk down to the beach to Haystack Rock.  This enormous rock sits at the edge of the shore and is indeed shaped like a haystack.  Hundreds of seagulls were flying around the rock, perching there for a while before taking off again over the water and the sand.

As I watched the gulls fly overhead, I was reminded of a verse in Scripture found in the 40th chapter of Isaiah:  “They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”  Although a seagull is a far cry from the majestic eagle, both types of birds expend much energy flapping their wings as they take off.  When they catch a thermal, they can stop flapping their wings and just glide.  Seeing all of those seagulls soar on the air currents, seemingly just floating there, reminded me that there are many times in our lives when we, like the people mentioned in Isaiah, are tired and weary.  We stumble and fall.  Life is overwhelming and requires a great amount of energy.  Seeing our journey from the ground can be discouraging.  But rising above it on “eagles’ wings”, catching a thermal and soaring above our difficulties, gives us a new perspective.  When we wait on the Lord, when we put our hope and our trust in Him, He gives us the strength we need to overcome the obstacles in our path.  He truly does increase the power of the weak.  We will indeed run and not grow weary.  We will walk and not be faint.

Just watching the birds fly overhead gave a lift to my spirit and reminded me that God does care about me and the details of my life.  How freeing it was to watch those seagulls flap their wings and fly, wafting onward with the wind beneath them.  And for a few moments, I too was soaring with them.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for moments of grace in the midst of life’s difficulties.  Thank You for the beauty of Your creation, for beaches and birds.  I pray for strength when I’m weary and Your power when I am weak.  Thank You for the energy to carry on, to fly on wings like eagles, to run and not grow weary, to walk and not be faint.  Amen.

 

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Copyright © 2015 by Dawn Dailey.  All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Yet you, Lord, are our Father.  We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.  Isaiah 64:8

Some time ago I visited the beautiful city of Florence, Italy.  At the top of my list of things to see was Michelangelo’s statue of David.  Housed in the Galleria dell’Accademia, David was bigger than life, standing over 14 feet tall and weighing more than 6 tons.  Just gazing on this masterpiece in person was phenomenal.  To see the exquisite detail in the carving was amazing.

Although Michelangelo is credited for this masterpiece, and rightly so, the history of this famous statute began many years earlier when this massive block of marble was quarried.  Two other artists worked on this project, but neither made much progress.  Neglected and exposed to the elements for 25 years, the chunk of marble was given to Michelangelo to complete.  Chiseling the fine features and life-like detail consumed more than two years.  In 1504, after 40 years in the making, this now world-famous masterpiece was complete.

Sometimes I feel like that marble statue of David.  Not the masterpiece.  The work in progress.  A large piece of rough-hewn stone, being chiseled and hammered.  With each precise carving, I feel the pain of disappointments, loss, and grief.  Sometimes, just like the marble that was to become David, I feel abandoned to the elements, those circumstances that seem beyond my control.

The Bible says we are the clay and God is the potter.  Just as a master craftsman takes a simple lump of clay and stretches it, pulling it in many directions, and ultimately firing it in a kiln, God takes us as we are, tugging and growing us as He refines us in the fires of life here on earth.  The problem comes when we, as the clay, don’t like being poked, stretched, and prodded.  We can’t see the vision of the end result.  The chiseling process is simply painful, sometimes more than we can bear.  Yet chiseling has a purpose – to create in us the character, the faith, and the strength to endure.  To be the beautiful person God wants us to be – whole, healthy, and healed.  Just like Michelangelo envisioned his David as it would be someday, God sees us as who we will one day become - His masterpiece, lovingly created by the Master’s hand.

Dear Heavenly Father, You are the Potter.  Help me remember that I am the clay.  Give me even a tiny glimpse of the vision You have for me.  Bestow in me the strength to endure the chiseling process as You make me into who You want me to become.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 
 
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Copyright © 2015 by Dawn Dailey.  All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™