More than Just Making It

The LORD is the everlasting God… He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak…those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength…

Isaiah 40:28-29. 31

On my morning walk, I passed a neighbor walking the opposite direction. I greeted her and asked how she was doing. She paused and replied, “I’m making it.” I understood her response. Her life has become complicated because of her mother’s failing health.

We all have days when we feel like we are just “making it.” We feel like we have a 20-pound weight strapped to each ankle and every step is a struggle. Perhaps you are in a difficult marriage, and your goal is to “make it” through today. Perhaps you are feeling pressure from every direction at work, and you question how long you can continue. Perhaps a health issue or some other crisis has you weighed down. Some days, I feel like I need a shot in the arm of some miraculous potion just to keep going. How about you? 

God’s Word can be the very shot in the arm we need. Here are just a few verses from Isaiah that have encouraged me recently: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine (Isaiah 43:1). One will say, “I belong to the Lord”…another will write on his hand, “The Lord’s” (Isaiah 44:5).

Think about that, believer. God has personally called you by name. Through His gift of faith in Jesus, He now says about you, “You are mine.” And so, on those days when life gets tough and you feel weighed down, proclaim out loud, “I belong to the Lord!” Perhaps on the really hard days, we should get a pen and literally write on our palms, “The Lord’s.” How encouraging to know we are the Lord’s and absolutely nothing can separate us from His loving care.

Thank You, Lord, for Your encouraging words when earthly journeys become difficult. Strengthen us through your Word, so that instead of just “making it,” we soar!

Jan Burkhart