Exchanging Strength

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31

Have you ever been tired or weary? Are you today? I think pregnancy bring on great tiredness and weariness, especially at the beginning and end of a pregnancy. God is using the energy and nutrients in your body to do amazing things to grow your baby.

Are you caring for other children today? Is there a “to do” list a mile long at work or at home? Are you overwhelmed? God calls us to look to Him for strength today.

As I looked at verse 31, at the word “renew,” my NIV Study Bible note says that the word for renew means “exchange”. Let’s read it that way: “But those who hope in the LORD will exchange their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Hope in the Lord doesn’t just give us strength that we’ve had before. God calls us to exchange our strength – to give up our strength – and to exchange it for the Lord’s strength.

How do we exchange our strength for the Lord’s strength? First, we have to spend daily time with Him. Quiet time with the Lord – praying to Him, reading His Word, being still with the Lord. We need to confess our sins to the Lord and ask for His assistance to get rid of those sinful habits. Hiding God’s Word in our hearts by Bible memorization is also a great way to exchange our strength for the Lord’s strength. It’s a process. It takes time.

Here’s an other interesting word picture. God has designed eagles so that they soar – they do not flap their wings frequently like other birds. Think about the difference between a hummingbird and an eagle. Are you feeling like you are flapping your wings frantically? When we exchange our strength for the strength of the Lord, we can soar like eagles – waiting for the right wind – the right current to come so that we can soar.

My prayer for you today is that you will take some quiet time with the Lord. Spend time in prayer with God. Talk to Him. Tell Him how great He is. Tell Him your worries, your cares. Get into His Word so that you can learn about how great He is. If you do not have a Bible, go here to read the Bible online. Copy and paste Isaiah 40: 28-31 and put it around your house to be reminded to look to the Lord for strength – to exchange your strength for the Lord’s. Don’t be overwhelmed – take baby steps – little by little you will find that you can’t get enough of God and His Word. When you don’t feel like it, do it anyway. I have found even when I’m not in the mood to be in His Word, the feelings come over time with discipline, persistence, and obedience to spending time in His Word. I am praying for you today, dear ladies – for you and for your baby – and all of your family!

Dear God,

Thank you for this day. Thank you for Your Word. Thank you for the promise that when I exchange my strength for Your strength, You will cause me to soar like an eagle. I praise You, Lord, that You never grow weary. Thank you for creating me. Help me to stop being a hummingbird. Help me to keep my focus on You today so that I can soar like an eagle. Thank you God for creating this precious little life growing inside of me. Please continue to grow this baby to a healthy baby. When anxiety fills my mind, remind me of Your Word and of Your great plan for me and for my baby. Help me to shift my focus from me to You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

As a side note, I spent time this morning absorbed in some data on the internet in regards to eagles that I later found was not correct. There is a myth out there that eagles in their later years have to break their beaks and talons - pull off old feathers and grow new ones. This information is a myth. This has been a reminder to me to look closely at information found online - don't believe everything you read!

Strong and Courageous

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:8-9

Have you ever been terrified? Have you ever been discouraged? I have. Do you find yourself terrified that something could be wrong with your baby? Are you itching to get to an ultrasound? Are you discouraged because those hCG’s aren’t as high as you had wished? Is it too long until your next appointment to hear the heartbeat? God challenges you today to be strong and courageous.

Now, before you run and beg your doctor to get a sonogram soon. Before you rent that Baby Beat, go to God’s Word, the Bible. It is full of hope for you today.

We have a physician who is there to speak to us at any moment. The Great Physician – God. He has gifted us with His Word. Proverbs 30:5 says "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” Rest in that shield today – take refuge in His Word. When doubt comes to mind, memorize scripture.

Below is a favorite verse of mine for anxiety – I challenge you to memorize it today – type it out on your computer and put it all around your home, in your car, in your pocket.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 6-7.

Go right now – copy and paste these verses – print them out – God is there listening to your prayers – to your fears. God’s peace will rest on you when you bathe yourself in His Word.

Dear God,

Thank you for this day with my precious little one. Thank you for Your Word to remind me about who You are and that You have a grand plan. You have hope. You can cast out that anxiety above what any earthy data can give me right now. Help me to rest in that – help me to hide Your Word in my heart today so that it can be my shield when the arrows of doubt creep into my mind. I ask You to continue to grow this precious little one inside of me – and to grow my heart to be more like Yours today. Grow me to be strong and courageous in You, God. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Dear ladies I am praying for you today – when that fear creeps in, read Philippians 4:6-7! It’s my challenge to you today.

Amazing....

Psalm 139:13-16

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Did you know God knew the events of today even before you were born? Every day of our life was ordained by God even before our own birth. That amazes me.

Each of my three children living on earth were knit together by the Lord. God has a special plan for each of them. I praise the Lord for their lives and for their futures.

Every baby is created for a purpose – no matter how long or how short its life. I praise God for the little ones God created inside of me whom I have yet to meet until Heaven. God had a great purpose for them. I praise God for their lives, even though they were shorter than I had hoped. He has taken the ashes of my grief and grown me and given me opportunities for ministry in ways that amaze me. Our God is a Great God!

God has a plan for you. God has a plan for the baby you are carrying. No life is wasted, no matter how short that life is. God has great plans for you. He has great plans for your baby. Bask in the goodness of the Lord today – of how He created you for His purposes, and how He’s created and growing your baby. God is good!

Take some time to go here and read in amazement how God grows babies from the start – it is an amazing miracle. Only our Amazing and Mighty God can do this! Praise Him today!

Dear God,

Thank you for how you created me – that all of the days of my life are written in your book. You have a perfect plan for me. Thank you for Your amazing creation in this special life growing inside of me. Help me to remember to be amazed at this baby you have created and are growing in wonderful ways. Help me to remember that you have a purpose and a plan for this little one. When fear comes to mind, remind me that You love me and You love my baby with a never ending love. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Dear ladies, I am lifting you up to the Lord today - praying for comfort for any discomfort in your health (I rarely felt well when I was pregnant, so I have great empathy for you!). I am praying that the Lord would bring to mind His Word and His Plan when you find your mind dwelling on anxiety.

Anchored Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Hebrews 6:19a

What is this anchored hope of which Hebrews 6:19 speaks? Dear ladies, it is the hope from the Lord Jesus Christ. Each one of us is a sinner who has no hope to live up to God’s standards. The Lord Jesus came down to earth as an infant – He grew to a man – He lived a sinless life and died on a cross for your sins –for my sins. After 3 days, the Lord Jesus rose from the dead. He conquered death. He took on the pain of our sins. When we accept that we are sinners with no hope on our own, and ask the Lord Jesus to take control of our life – to be the center of our life, of our existence – it is then, ladies, that we can look to the hope of the Lord.

When we accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior, it does not guarantee a life of ease. It won’t guarantee that your baby will live a full life on earth. No, the hope is that God has a plan for each of us – and for your baby. His plans are not always what we expect them to be. I got caught in the wrong thinking that a miracle conception would have to mean that we were meant to have another child on earth from that pregnancy, and I was wrong. But ladies, our hope has to be in the Lord and in His plan for our lives.

This does not mean that it is aimless to pray for your baby – to ask the Lord to grow your baby to a healthy full-term transition to life on earth. God wants to hear your hearts desire. Look to Him and to His plan. Enjoy this day you have this precious baby growing inside of you. It is a miracle from God.

If you want to know more about how to receive the Lord Jesus as Savior, here is a website which explains it beautifully here

Today’s Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for this precious time of carrying this precious little one inside of me. Lord, I ask that You would continue to grow this baby. As each cell is developing, knit him/her together in Your perfect way. God, I thank you for the gift of Your son, Jesus. Thank You for Your plan of the cross. Thank you that Jesus has the power over death. Thank You that He is my eternal anchored hope of salvation. Help me to focus on hope in the Lord instead of hope in sonograms, hCG levels, and heartbeat sounds. Help me to be reminded of the great gift of today with this baby, even though I can’t see or hold him/her yet. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Dear ladies, I am praying for you today – for you to enjoy your day and to be growing in the Lord. When you find yourself anxious, get in God’s Word!