Laced with Grace

I ran across a familiar passage of scripture last Friday, but something jumped out at me a new way. I love it when God grants us glimpses of who He is and what He's doing!

Isaiah 40:29-31, "He gives strength to the weary and increase 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."

Do you hear it, do you hear the grace in those lines?

"He gives strength to the weary." Which I take to mean that we will grow weary. He's expecting it of us. There will be times when we are just plain tired.

"Even youths grow tired." So if I'm feeling worn out, I don't have to be so hard on myself. Youth is the most energetic stage of life. So if some youth person grows tired, it's natural for all of us to grow tired.

"Young men stumble and fall." Whoa, you mean this grace applies not just to weariness, but to actual mistakes and troubles? That's good news.

To me, this passage that speaks hope and help, also speaks grace - because it gives us permission to be wherever we are. Yes, we are called to hope in the LORD. Yes, He promises to renew our strength. But too often, as Christ-followers, we get the cart before the horse. We think we're never supposed to get tired, or weary or frustrated or any other number of emotions because we're supposed to trust God. But friends, I'm here to tell you that the horse that pulls our cart is Grace, and we need it in order to move forward.