OUR DAILY BREAD : OUTRUNNING CHEETAHS

[cimi]

SATURDAY APRIL 18


OUTRUNNING CHEETAHS

READ:
Isaiah 40:7,31
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The grass withers,
the flower fades....
But those who
wait on the LORD
shall renew their
strength.
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The majestic African cheetah is known for reaching speeds of 112 kph (70 mph) in short bursts, but it doesn't do so well over distances. A BBC news item reports that four members of a northeast Kenyan village actually outran two cheetahs in a 4-mile footrace.

It seems that two large cheetahs had been feeding on village goats. So the four men came up with a plan to stop them. They waited until the hottest part of the day and then gave chase to the cats, tracking them down when the animals couldn't run any farther. The exhausted cheetahs were safely captured and turned over to the Kenyan wildlife service for relocation.

Can we see ourselves in the cheetah? Our strengths might seem impressive, but they are short-lived. As the prophet Isaiah reminds us, we are like wildflowers that soon wither under the heat of the sun (40:6-8).

Yet it is at the end of ourselves that our God offers us comfort. A surprise rises up to meet those who wait on the Lord. In His time and ways, he can renew our strength. By His Spirit He can enable us to rise up on "wings like eagles" or to "run and not be weary, [to] walk and not faint" (v.31). __Mart Dehaan

**Lord, forgive us for the many times that we rely on our short-lived strength.
Help us see that all good gifts come from You, and that You are the never-
failing source of our strength, hope, and joy. ______________________________________________________
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When we draw near to God, our minds are refreshed and our strength
is renewed.

***************************Today's Bible Reading __ Isaiah 40:6-11, 28-31*********************
6 The voice said, "Cry out!" and he said, "What shall I cry?"

"All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the
flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the
people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the
word of our God stands forever."

9 O Zion, you who bring good tidings, get up into the high
mountain; O Jerusalem, you who bring good tidings, lift up
your voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid; say to the
cities of Judah, "Behold your God!"

10 Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, and
His arm shall rule for Him; behold, his reward is with Him, and
His work before Him. 11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His
bosom, and gently lead those who are with young....

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting
God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither
faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He
gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He
increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
and the young men shall utterly fall, 31 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.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
The prophets often carry a message of doom.
Today's passage, however, is one of encouragement. Isaiah
tells God's people to have hope because the God whose power
created the ends of the earth is the God who lifts them up when
they are weary.

[MrsDely]

Amen. God's word never fails. Praise him.