A Prayer about Becoming Weak and Inefficient
A Prayer about Becoming Weak and Inefficient
…but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
Gracious Lord,
I remember memorizing this verse
as an achievement-oriented high school student,
a fifteen-year-old eager to renew my strength
and to run and not be weary.
It’s easy to see now how I misunderstood
a lot of what this verse was about,
but I confess, in our achievement-oriented,
efficiency-seeking society,
it’s not always easy to remember
that the gospel isn’t about strength,
accomplishment,
or efficiency.
Indeed, you were speaking to the Israelites in exile
in these verses,
assuring them in the midst of their frailty,
in the aftermath of their sinful rebellion,
that you would send a Savior:
“Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her that her warfare has ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned” (Isaiah 40:1).
Oh, patient and merciful God,
help us to see that in our weakness,
you alone are our strength;
that in our idol of efficiency,
you alone are our salvation.
Help us to learn to wait on you,
to watch to see
what you are doing in our lives
and in this world
through the transforming love of Jesus Christ.
In Jesus’ perfectly sufficient name. Amen.
Read Isaiah 40.
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage
author, life and legacy coach, speaker
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage is the author of Preparing for Glory: Biblical Answers to 40 Questions on Living and Dying in Hope of Heaven.
(affiliate link)
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17
Lord,
We believe; help our unbelief.
We believe you have already come into our midst
in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
We believe you are a mighty one
who has already saved us from our sins
through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
But in the next line of this magnificent verse,
we stutter and stumble.
We think that maybe you will rejoice in us
some day in the future
when we are more holy,
that you will love us
some day in the future
when we never sin again,
that you will exult in us with loud singing
some day in the future
when we’ve finally earned our way to heaven.
But that’s not what Scripture tells us.
The gospel good news
for all who trust in Jesus
is that right this minute,
you are rejoicing over us,
right this minute
you are quieting us with your love,
right this minute
and you are exulting over us with loud singing.
You saved us.
You love us.
You delight in us.
You sing extra-loud over us,
like the five-year-old who loves to sing
at the top of his lungs
because he’s so happy.
Help us today to sit quietly
and listen for the sound
of your delight in us,
and may that delight
change the way we live and love
today and every day.
In Jesus’ saving name. Amen.
Read Zephaniah 3:14-20.
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage
author, life and legacy coach, speaker
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage is the author of Preparing for Glory: Biblical Answers to 40 Questions on Living and Dying in Hope of Heaven.
(affiliate link)
