Limp Hands

Hebrews 12:12&13 “Strengthen the hands that hang down and the feeble knees and make straight paths for your feet so that what is lame may not be dislocated but rather be healed.”

Isaiah 35:3 & 4 “Strengthen the limp hands and steady the feeble knees!  Say to those with anxious hearts, “Be strong, do not fear!  Behold, your God will come with vengeance.  With divine retribution He will come to save you”.”

As I read Hebrews this morning, I came across this verse.  As I studied the commentary, the Greek and the Hebrew the repeated theme was hands that hang down (limp hands) and feeble knees are sign of despair, losing hope, giving up, or worse yet defeat!  How often do we feel that this world, our lives, have defeated us as Christians that we are in despair and losing hope or have given up and resolved ourselves that this is just the life we have to live and we no longer hope.  Yes, we still have faith that God is God and He is ultimately going to come back and take us home.  How often do we just settle in for the long haul and give up trying to fight the good fight of faith?  Isaiah 35:4 for me was a kick in the pants, this says to me don’t just strengthen (encourage) yourself and others but take heart – BE STRONG!  DO NOT FEAR!  God is the one that comes with vengeance with divine retribution to save us! 

In this world, we will have trials and tribulations it says it right there in your Bible.  But we as Americans forget that struggles are part of fighting the good fight.  We have been complacent for so long because of our immense blessings that we forget that we must stand firm, strengthen our limp hands and feeble knees so that we won’t be dislocated.  Dislocated means put out of place, force a change in the usual status, relationship or disruption of a normal status.  Disruption, now there is a word for you that would describe exactly what is happening today in this current state of things, wouldn’t you say?

Take to heart Isaiah 35:4, Be strong, do not fear.  God’s promise is that He will come and save us!  What that will look like I do not know, but I do know the divine character of God and that is He is faithful, just, and will never leave or forsake me!  In that alone I find strength.  I can tell you, sometimes, I wonder what it is going to be like, for Anchor and I, when we sell everything and travel in our RV.  My human side says, you’re crazy, don’t do it.  You need to hide away in your peaceful, beautiful place and then you won’t have to deal with all of the insane things that are happening in the world.  But Anchor and I both know we are called to go and make disciples, to show God’s love to a hurting world. 

Actually, you, yes you, are called to do the same.  Every one of us is called to show God’s love and compassion, to show God’s goodness through our kindness to draw people to the Lord.  Through whatever means God shows you to make disciples and help encourage them, so that when they are discouraged, fearful, or weak that they will be reminded that the Lord comes to save us and that if we don’t strengthen ourselves through the preparation of the gospel of peace (the Bible) that we will not be prepared to fight the good fight of faith!  We won’t be prepared with the armor that God has already given us.  We must choose to keep it on or put it back on to make sure we can fight off the fiery darts of the enemy.  Remember, Ephesians 6 says, that we aren’t fighting against flesh and blood but against powers, principalities, against rulers of the darkness, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.  It also reminds us in 6:10 we must be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

We must not only encourage others but encourage ourselves.  When we start looking through our natural human eyes America looks bleak I admit, but look at it through spiritual eyes.  The harvest is white and the workers are few, there has never been a time in my life where people are hurting everywhere in America, they are scared, discouraged, defeated, and have lost hope.  Now, is the time for us to rise up to our calling as Christians, to reach out to anyone in our scope of influence and tell them about Jesus; to encourage our fellow Christians that God is and always will be here, faithful, strong and just.  We must make our pathways straight by following God’s Word.  To do that we must know what it says.  Fall in love with God’s Word!   Use that Word to encourage others, to make disciples so that others will also know the character of God and the hope that we have in Christ Jesus! 

Hebrews 12:12 & 13 say, we should strengthen ourselves so instead of being dislocated we can be healed.  God’s instructions are never without care for us.  He wants us healed not only physically but spiritually!  He wants restoration of relationship with you, that heals us spiritually.  We can’t be healed without relationship.  If you are married think of it this way,  your married and the marriage certificate says so but, if you don’t talk to that person or even spend time with them, how does your relationship grow, how do you feel emotionally?  You feel very dislocated – by definition that means change of relationship.  You can’t grow in your relationship without communication.

I encourage you to STOP listening and paying attention to the fear that is so rampant.  Don’t let fear kill your hope or give you limp hands and knees, God’s character never changes.  He is always with us, He never leaves or forsakes us.  We must do our part in the relationship by spending time with the Lord.  Read His Word, pray and the most important part is giving time to get quiet so that we can hear Him speak to us.  Relationship is a two way street, not just our laundry list of things we want/need from the Lord nor is it just complaining about how terrible things are. Pray and when you’re finished, learn to just sit quietly with the Lord and let Him speak to your heart through His Word or even just through the Holy Spirit.  That small still voice that speaks to us.  Pray and ask for the Lord to let you hear from Him, that you would know when it is the Holy Spirit speaking to you.  He is faithful to do just that. 

My prayer is that God strengthens your feeble hands and knees so that you are healed, made whole and restored to the hope that is the calling of Jesus Christ.  That God will give you each revelation knowledge, wisdom and the courage to stand up for biblical principles in America.  That God will show you He has made you bold and confident through Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2) and that as such you will tell others about your Jesus! Choose joy!  Fall in love with Jesus and His Word!    Have a blessed rest of your week!