Isa 35:3, “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.”
Heb 12:12-14, “Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”
Has anyone here when you first got witnessed to that you were told that if you gave your life to Christ all your troubles would go away?
I recall in my early walk that a preacher stood up and shared all the benefits one received for a life given for the Lord, I remember him saying especially among Apostolic that had lower rates of sickness, cancer was seldom seen, marriages were better, and even said that as Christians we don’t see Alzheimer occurring in our ranks.
Well, I’m hear to say to you today that sadly that is not entirely true.
I at times in my life have become angry with God because things didn’t go the way I wanted them. My perspective of this Christian life was that everything was supposed to be perfect, my roses would never have thorns, I would have this special protection over me that would prevent rain from falling on my head, I would never have car problems, if I brought my kids to church every service that they would be perfect angels and that Everything I would touch would have the Midas touch and turn to gold.
That perspective is completely wrong and really ignorant of those who have gone before and suffered as Christians in the past and today.
But you know what I am blessed beyond measure and it has nothing to do with what I possess. this is still is the best decision one can make in one’s life. 1Jn 2:25, ‘And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.”
In our first text in Isaiah this scripture is the promise of the restoration of Israel. At the time of Isaiah’s writing the norther Kingdoms were already taken by the Assyrians and captive, Judah is under the reign of Hezekiah who attempted to bring religious reform to that part of Israel.
Isaiah 35 and 36 are the promise of hope that will one day come to the nation of Israel.
We to live in hope 1Pe 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”
Have you anytime in your life lost hope? Did you fell that couldn’t lift your hand up because you had lost all strength? Did your knees become so weak that they couldn’t hold you up?
Sometimes we need to admit that we need to have help, not just the help from God but from one another.
When the Israelites were in battle with the Amalekites this happened.
Exo 17:11-13, “And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”
Us men can be pretty prideful, hey how you doing? I’m doing just fine we say, but is that true? When I received the Holy Ghost which I share many times one of the things that happened as I was done on my backside was that I had my hands up in the air and after awhile they grew tired and happily those around me grabbed onto my arms and lifted them up for I have no idea how long. Hallelujah!
In the 2nd set of verses in Hebrews interestingly the author here is talking about chastisement, something we all enjoy, right, the author tell us that discipline will assist us in growing strong and mature, then this verse is in the transition that when thing happen don’t continue on moping and looking like you sucked on a lemon, but pick your up set a straight path for you feet with your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ.
More than once, I have come to the altar with weak knees and feeble hands and would not leave until I was strengthened in the Lord!
We need each other more now than ever, well I can find Jesus wherever I go, because He is not confined to any building or any organization so why do we have church?
Heb 10:22-25, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
I don’t know about you but I need encouragement at times and if I don’t I need to be an encouragement to someone else. I love family and even with all its warts and sometimes… I’m proud to call you my family
In several of the psalms it tells us to lift up our hands to him, 1Timothy 2:8, “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”
But what happens when life has beaten you do, when it is hard to lift those arms to give glory to the creator of all things?
When my daughter passed away from cancer over eight years ago, I was at that point. I wasn’t angry with God but I was very disappointed and to lift my hands wasn’t something I was ready to do, I even skipped several services at it was difficult for me to face others.
When I did finally muster the courage to go to church as I was sitting at the sound booth, I felt as the worship team was leading worship that I had to come to the altar and I stood there I slowly lifted my arms amidst the tears flowing down my face. Others gathered around my praying with the laying of hands and I was truthfully better after.
But that wasn’t it, several years later my wife and I attended a CeCe Winans concert at the time the song, “Goodness of God” was becoming very popular, I loved that song and waited anxiously for her to sing it. When she got to the song the whole church was standing and ready to worship with her. I soon lifted my hands and the tears once again came pouring out and further healing from all that hurt occurred, Jesus indeed has always been faithful, Jesus is always been so so good!
There is healing in lifting your weary hands to the King of Kings!
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