If you and I are honest, each of us has had at least one setback in life. It may have been a financial setback, a flight delay, or a sickness. Setbacks don’t have to be very detrimental, but they often are. How do we rebuild strength after a setback? The biblical prescription might shock you.
When we experience a setback, most of us don’t want to stay where we are. We want to make a comeback. In fact, the quicker the comeback, the better. We get so discouraged in our setback, but many of us don’t want to do the grunt work or follow the “doctor’s orders”. When you read the biblical prescription, you will most likely want to do something different.
Isaiah 40:31 gives the prescription. Many remember the part in the verse about soaring like eagles. Who doesn’t want that? Some remember even more of the verse that talks about running without being weary and walking without fainting. Sounds great, right? But the first part is key if we are going to soar, walk, and run.
Here is what the verse says:
“But those who wait on 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 NKJV
Who are the ones who renew their strength? Those who WAIT! (Mic drop) All of a sudden, strength renewal has lost its appeal. You mean I have to wait in order to renew my strength? Yep!
Here are a couple of things to note about waiting:
Waiting still requires active obedience. What do waiters in restaurants do? They serve. We still continue to obey and serve the Lord while we wait.
Waiting sometimes requires stillness. The psalmist said, “Be still and know that I am God.” In that stillness, we exercise faith. We still trust and believe (know) that He is still God and that all His promises are Yes and Amen. Isaiah refers to this as quiet confidence. Isaiah 30:15 says, “In quietness and confidence will be your strength.” Sometimes, God says, “Shut up and trust Me.”
This prescription goes against the philosophy of the day. We are accustomed to instant gratification. God says we have to wait and trust. As we build these necessary patience-building skills, we will find supernatural strength.
Friend, give up your little formulas to prove to everybody you’ve got it together. Your plans are gonna mess you up like Abraham screwed things up. God promised him a son named Isaac, but the timing of his birth wasn’t quick enough. Abraham’s wife told him to have sexual relations with their handmaid, Hagar (stupid move). She conceived a child, and the drama began. What happens when you try to rush God? Chaos!
I guarantee you want to rebuild strength if you have experienced a setback. The thing is you must do it God’s way. God has been so gracious in giving us direction. Let’s receive it and obey it.
Honest Thoughts from a Pastor 
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