Mark Sorensen I’ve been hung up on the word “renew” lately.
On a daily basis, I am surrounded by electronics that are always in need of recharging. As I type this out, my computer has 12% battery life left. My cell phone (which I don’t believe I have used that much today, to be honest with you) somehow has less than 5% battery left for the day. Yesterday, I picked up my Kindle to read a book I was wanting to get back into and, sadly, found it was – wait for it – dead, thus leaving me to have to manually pick up a book and flip the pages on my own. Oh, the horror of it all.
First world problems, right?
It’s funny. As I was reading the Word last night, I ran across a verse that I had read hundreds of times but it hit me in a new way:
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 40:31
We are a busy culture. It is not uncommon to sit at an intersection and look at the cars surrounding you, seeing people checking out the latest tweet or Facebook post, texting, talking, going, and doing. Can I confess? I am in the ministry and I am not that different. I am running, meeting, greeting, going, and doing.
But here’s the beauty of where I landed this week. It’s in the form of an equation. Ready?
Busy – Renewal = Empty
Look throughout the gospels. Over and over Jesus is on the move. He is meeting, greeting, loving, Facebooking (OK, maybe not that last one). But then this crazy thing would happen. He would stop. He would go to a quiet place and be renewed. In fact, scripture says that “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray.” (Luke 5:16)
The simple truth? If Jesus, being God in flesh, saw it necessary to spend time with His Father over and over again in the gospels, can we really live our lives thinking an occasional Sunday morning check-in and recharge at our houses of worship is enough?
I have been running on empty lately but time spent in the Word has led to a refilling and a renewing of my soul and God has found me in the midst of my emptiness and has reminded me that renewal for the soul is available. I just need to provide the necessary time to unplug from the world and plug into His Words.
So the good news for each of you today? He can do the same to you.
