Isaiah 40:29 "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."
The TV show Survivor takes healthy, able-bodied men and women and drops them in a treacherous environment and leaves them there to see who can outsmart and survive the longest. The last one standing wins one million dollars. The only problem with this is that there are cameras and people along who can step in and end production if things start getting out of control. The irony of this is the show is often filmed where there are real people who are truly struggling to survive without any means of food and water. They have no rescue plan and no way out of their predicament. I often wonder what these people would think of us if they had the means to watch this show. They are truly the survivors and I can’t imagine how many lives could be saved for one million dollars.
This country we live in is seeing one of the most difficult economic times we have faced in a long time. I don’t know one family that has not been affected. My husband works for the state of California, so we have faced the famous furlough days. I too am no longer working, so our income has been cut. I am learning the valuable lesson of contentment, but I also have the basics of living. We have a roof over our heads, fresh water to drink and healthy food on our table. How can one be content when they are watching their loved ones turn to skin and bones right before their eyes because they have no way to supply food and water? How does a mother or father find contentment as they one by one bury their children from malnutrition and dehydration?
I don’t understand how anyone can find contentment in that situation. I do however know what one can find when all hope is gone. We can see the mighty power and love of God when all else is lost. In Luke 12: 48 we are told, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." We are the hands and feet of God working in this situation. It is through us and all that God has blessed us with, which gives strength to the weary and power to the weak. We are a blessed nation even in these difficult times and when we are generous to His people in need we are honoring God. God hears the prayers of the needy, and they need our voice in prayer, so let’s pray for the real survivors and let’s reach out and feed His people.
Lord, we are so blessed even in the toughest of times. Help us to see beyond our own suffering.
-- Michele
