The Revivalنموونە

New Strength

Psalm 85 records a simple, powerful prayer for God to revive us so that we might rejoice in Him once again. I long to see revival in our lives and communities, and I’m deeply aware that revival is only given by God. What’s more, revival isn’t meant to just stop with us being revived. The psalmist makes it clear that the byproduct of revival is our rejoicing in God. Revival, then, is ultimately about us getting back to a place where we find our ultimate enjoyment in God, recognizing that we were created to delight in the One who created us.

I tend to find it easier to pray the first part of the psalmist’s prayer (‘Revive me!’) without acknowledging the second part (‘Because I want to rejoice in You, God!’). This highlights the truth that I’m thinking mostly of myself and not of how I might glorify God. But the thing is, sometimes I feel like I just don’t have the strength to think beyond my own wellbeing. This is when I cling to the words of the prophet Isaiah, who reminds us that those who trust in the Lord will find new strength, soaring high on wings like eagles, running and not growing weary, walking and not fainting.

Isaiah’s encouragement also reminds us that we can never muster up enough strength to revive ourselves. We don’t run without growing weary by relying on our abilities or our good ideas. Revival only comes through total trust in God. He alone can supply us with new strength as we surrender to Him.

One translation of Isaiah 40:31 says that those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. Waiting and trusting can be translated interchangeably. We live in a culture of instant gratification, so most of us find waiting for anything incredibly difficult, but Isaiah knows that the strength we really need – spiritual strength – comes from patiently looking to God. The world perpetuates the busyness of life and the daily grind when God is telling us to rest and to wait on Him by relying on His perfect wisdom, power, and love. We have to learn to turn our impatience into trust and our fear into acceptance.

I invite you to think about all this while you’re working out today. Be honest with yourself about the areas of your life in which you struggle to trust God – and remind yourself that when you trust Him you’ll discover new strength.

First the Word – now the Workout:

5 x 5 back squats

Rest for 2 minutes between sets

4 x 10 Bulgarian split squats

Rest for 60 seconds

15 min AMRAP

15 cal row

10 kb swings

5 burpees