Wait Upon the Lord!

Isaiah 40:31

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.

One of the central features of the Christian life is its promise of power to do good and to overcome sin.  We’ve heard this many times, but we sometimes forget what such a promise means.  Many people confuse the comfort and peace of God with a sort of vacation.  Such people imagine that the Christian life (and above all, Heaven) consists of divine permission to be a couch potato and do nothing since “Jesus has done it all.”  But Isaiah does not say we shall sleep and not be weary or take a powder and not faint.  Rather, the power of God is given to help us go beyond what we could do in our own strength, not to kick back and do nothing at all.  It is an overcoming power, a power that breaks down barriers, leaps walls, and is eager to stretch its legs and do wonderful things by the grace of God.  If you are weary today, ask God for a new outpouring of his Holy Spirit through prayer, obedience, and his holy sacraments.  He is eager to sweep you up into the drama, action, and joy of his Trinitarian life.

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Mark P. Shea is a popular Catholic writer and speaker. The author of numerous books, his most recent work is The Work of Mercy (Servant) and The Heart of Catholic Prayer (Our Sunday Visitor). Mark contributes numerous articles to many magazines, including his popular column “Connecting the Dots” for the National Catholic Register. Mark is known nationally for his one minute “Words of Encouragement” on Catholic radio. He also maintains the Catholic and Enjoying It blog and regularly blogs for National Catholic Register. He lives in Washington state with his wife, Janet, and their four sons.

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