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PROGRAM D-8325
Have you stopped celebrating your birthday because you don’t want to remember how old you are? I’m not particularly fond of birthdays anymore, I must admit. I just can’t relate to that number getting so large. But the alternative to aging is not necessarily a good one—so we keep on keepin’ on! So, I’m exploring what it means to find a spiritual fountain of youth—a way that we can fight those aging issues by staying young inwardly. Paul said that though he was outwardly wasting away, he was inwardly renewed day by day. I’ve been sharing ways that you and I can keep young on the inside by practicing truth from God’s Word.
Here is the final step I want to share with you, found in Isaiah 40:31: “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.”
You’ve probably heard this wonderful verse which tells us that our strength can be renewed. How? By hoping—trusting—in the Lord.
Okay, so what exactly does that mean—to hope in the Lord? In Scripture, hope is an indication of certainty. It means a strong and confident expectation. It’s not wish-washy hoping, like we do most every day. It is trusting God without doubting. It takes courage to hope in the Lord.
Have you lost that courage? Has life thrown such disappointments and trials your way that you’re actually afraid to trust God? There was a time in my life when I was afraid to trust God—I didn’t want to hope in the Lord—because I thought his plan for my life would not be what I wanted. I was sure that I could only be happy if I had what I wanted. It took me far too long to begin hoping in the Lord again but, praise God, he brought me back! As my hope and trust in the Lord was strengthened, my strength was renewed and I began to soar.
So, my closing word to you on this topic of finding the spiritual fountain of youth is that the more you will let go and trust God, the more you will allow his word to fill your heart and mind, and the more you’re willing to obey and walk in his ways, the younger you will be inwardly. Your spirit will be renewed and you’ll soar like an eagle, high above the troubles and trials of life.