Exiles No More

31 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 40:31

How many times I have heard and even quoted this passage of scripture and yet for many years there was one important part of this verse I had missed.

In years past as I read this scripture, when I failed to fly like an eagle or run without weariness or even when I fainted; I blamed myself and my faith in God. I never blamed God but instead always blamed me. I felt at the core of who I was there must be a problem that always brought about failure.

Have you ever felt that? Have you ever felt that in your heart of hearts you knew you fell short and thus failed God? Then according to my logic, because I had no ability to not fail God, I was a failure. What was missing? I would read accounts in God’s Word and see where others had done much worse things than I yet God had used them and made them successful in their endeavors. I read about David committing adultery and his ultimate murder of one of his loyal men and realized I had done nothing like this yet I still couldn’t move forward.

My problem was that I somehow thought that I had to do something to deserve the new strength; something other than surrendering to God.

I had failed to realize to whom this passage had been written. It had been written to the exiles.

That was my problem…I was trying to not be an exile before I received it from him. I felt like an exile and when I finally surrendered all my pain, all my heart, and life—His strength began to permeate my heart and life.

For many of us, our unhealthy living stems from our view of who we are and our pain. We feel like exiles and live like an exile. Surrender yourself to God; pain, brokenness, and failures bring them all to God and lay them down. Then we can move forward with all of life and become healthy.

We will find the strength of the Lord to change not only our eating and exercise habits but every area that needs adjusting.