strength when i'm weary

Are you tired? I sure am. I feel tired everyday. The sun is helping me out a little recently, in that I wake up at 5:55am thinking I slept through the alarm because it is gloriously bright outside. Hurrah for summer.

It seems as though I never catch up, always wishing for strength or just more sleep.

Are sleep and food the only sources of energy available to us? What is the answer when we have enough of both but still feel weary?

In the passage I posted yesterday it says "Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted." That's a bummer. Even the young, those in peak physical condition will reach the end of their physical ropes.

But Isaiah doesn't leave us there. "But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength." The Lord is the source of energy, when you have served to exhaustion, worked to the bone, and cried your last tear.

"They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Yesterday this passage really encouraged me. When I went to work yesterday I was ready to slide-tackle the week. I had fresh ideas and encouragement from the weekend and I was ready to go. I came home exhausted and beat. And it was only Monday night. Faint and weary.

Reading this passage showed me how normal it was to be tired (even the youths) and how necessary it is for me to rely on the Lord's strength everyday. He is never tired, never weary. No amount of sleep, alone time, or anything else could truly help me face another day other than Him.

He gives power to the faint. I'm not okay with being faint. When I played soccer, I pushed through muscle pain and heaving lungs to get into the best shape I could. I hated weakness. I lifted and sprinted my way to strength of mind and body. And I don't like asking for help, I'd rather do everything myself than admit I can't do it.

Even though this works out for me sometimes, it always leads to my exhaustion and ultimately failure. I can't rely on my own strength. I must rely on His, the God who made me, the Lord who is strong and mighty, the One who is greater than anything I'll ever face.

Maybe my weariness is a chance for Him to be strong in my life. "But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9

I'm feeling tired Lord, please help me rely on You for mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual strength each day. Please be strong in my life that You may be glorified. I love You.