Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:28-31, NASB)
I must confess that I’m weary. I’ve never been so tired. Tomorrow I’ll probably be more so. The nature of my disease is one of progressive muscular deterioration (to the point of failure), and constant fatigue. Sometimes I’m too tired at night to let Sue brush my teeth! When I was first diagnosed with ALS, Sue and I researched the proper diet to use: High fat and high protein! The reason is that a person with Lou Gehrig’s Disease has to exert far more energy to move muscles than everyone else. Once the muscle fails, it’s done. As I write this, I can move my mouth (jaw), my tongue, my eyelids, and my eyeballs.
The diet (pretty much whatever I wanted; Sue made it, and eventually fed it to me when my arms failed) was fun while it lasted. In time, it became difficult, then impossible to eat, as my epiglottis (a muscle) could no longer keep food from aspirating into my lungs, and my jaw would wear out from chewing.
The passage from Isaiah says that they who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. I ponder that a lot. As part of my prayers in the morning, I ask God for strength to do what He wants me to do that day. As I wait for Him to heal me (God will do this if He wishes!), I lean on Him for whatever strength He can send my way.
Isaiah 40:31, found at worldwidechristianministries.org
Our Granddaughter, Colleen Cooper (one of our 12 precious Grandchildren), now 10 years old, was born with cerebral palsy. So far, she has never walked, never taken a step unaided. We used to have wheelchair races when she visited, and she always beat me, even though my chair is motorized! In heaven, in the New Jerusalem, where there will be no more sorrow, and no more pain, Colleen and I will run together. Not only that, but we will run and not get tired; we will walk and not become weary! I look forward to that day!
The Lord is my strength!
Worship: “I Will Rise,” Chris Tomlin