Waiting To Run , Running Quitting Waiting

A Reflection Of Isaiah 40:27-31
By Ryan Chia ,
email: jiarongmusic@hotmail.com

Recently, the sisters in my church CG signed up for a ladies-only marathon. I was greatly encouraged by their enthusiasm Some of them set aside time for this event. Their act of faith encourages one another , so much so nearly every sister in the group sign up for the run! ( not every sister is an athletic one). One of them even suggested training up for the marathon. The spirit is wonderful and I want to boast of their great love for the Lord in practicing good stewardship of their physical bodies.

There are so much lessons to learn from running. Personally, I ran 2 half-marathons while in army. Unlike my sisters, I did not do it by choice. One thing we do have in common is that through Christ, we have all make a decision to run The Great Christian Marathon. The bible tells us to keep the faith by finishing the race. Do we ever get tired? Why not quit the race? How do we give up and quit? Why do we give up and quit. Have you ever thought of quitting the race? Disappointment

Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted
Isaiah 40:30 ESV

One of the challenges I faced when I feel tired is to quit. Quit the position. Quit the job. Quit the relationship. Quit the ministry. Quit the church.

When I feel tired, I give up. It is easier to quit than to be labeled as a loser in this race. I may even be staying on the job, but internally I had already quitted; I had given up hope on God , myself and the people around me. I ended up putting on a mask and serving for the sake of serving ( and you will start wondering why life can be so monotonous and joyless). I decided not to put in my 101% of my time and energy (EFFORT) into God’s work. Running away may be a temporal answer to a short-term problem, but it surely adds to make a bigger question mark out of one’s future. Think for a moment: if a guy can choose to quit his ministry now because of reasons such as stress and a lack of time ( or a popular reason these days: I cannot ‘clique’ or I cannot communicate with that person), he will eventually consider to quit his family or even quit his marriage when he faces similar problems later on in his life .








God’s call? Turn to Him!

He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength….
…. but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength
Isaiah 40:29, 31a ESV

Why must we wait for the lord? The idea of waiting encompasses hope, endurance, perseverance and faithfulness. One possible lesson God taught me in the season of tiredness is to develop the character of patience. (James 1 KJV) Patience with other people, patience in accepting the shortcomings of others, patience Learning to wait upon the Lord is really something one needs to develop over time. ??? consistency is a gift…

The virtue of waiting upon the Lord is a lost art in our modern society. We like to take control of situations and people. Quitting is a way in which can help us feel that we are retaining control. We do not humble ourselves enough to surrender our pride before the Lord.

The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
Isaiah 40:8 ESV

In moments of tiredness, I learn to dig deeper into the Word of God. Flip to a Psalm and see how faithful God is in upholding his people! Learn to find strength and be renewed by His words. God promises to renew our strength when we learn to wait upon Him. Are you spending quality time just listening and waiting to what He wants you to learn in this season?

We have all signed up to run this race of faith? Finish the race! Yes, you may take a short walk to catch a breathe, take a quick slip of 100 Plus, you can even slow down to admire the beautiful scenery that surrounds the running route. But don’t walk your way to the finish line. You have signed up for THE Marathon, not Big Walk. Don’t get distracted and get sidetracked. Don’t get complacent about the number of people you overtook earlier on in the race. Don’t get discouraged by the amount of runners who are ahead of you. Don’t get encouraged by those who choose to walk their way to the finish line. You are just wasting time if you do so. You have been called to complete the race, not compete in the race. Draw strength from God, start running again towards the finish line! Get people to pace you! Pace your breath. Refocus! Take one step and one stride at a time. You may be tired but not out of the race yet.