Every year toward the end of winter I feel depleted, burnt out, and zapped of all energy. If the sun is used to power electricity, then a human’s lack of exposure to sunlight after enough time will certainly result in a lack of energy. My lack of energy is usually accompanied by discontentment and an eagerness to change my circumstances in search of something that will recharge my motivation, and rekindle my inspiration. My mind becomes clouded with anxiety and restlessness that often leads to binge eating, oversleeping, or scouring the internet for a new beginning. Being still and continuing faithfully in everyday tasks and simply putting one foot before the other feels impossible. Sometimes I wonder if God sees me. Does He see how tired I am? Does He care about my needs and weaknesses? How can He possibly ask me to keep going on like this?

My husband graciously let me get away this weekend to spend some time alone with the Lord and to get outdoors in hopes of regaining some much-needed strength. During this time the Lord brought me to Isaiah 40. If you’re feeling the way I do, I challenge you to stop and savor these words.

He tends His flock like a shepherd;
He gathers the lambs in His arms
and carries them close to His heart.
He gently leads the nursing ewes.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on a scale
and the hills with a balance?
Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD,
or informed Him as His counselor?
Whom did He consult to enlighten Him,
and who taught Him the paths of justice?
Who imparted knowledge to Him
and showed Him the way of understanding?
Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are considered a speck of dust on the scales;
He lifts up the islands like fine dust.
Lebanon is not sufficient for fuel,
nor its animals enough for a burnt offering.
All the nations are as nothing before Him;
He regards them as nothingness and emptiness
To whom will you liken God?
To what image will you compare Him?
To an idol that a craftsman casts
and a metalworker overlays with gold
and fits with silver chains?
To one bereft of an offering
who chooses wood that will not rot,
who seeks a skilled craftsman
to set up an idol that will not topple?
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the foundation of the earth?
He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth;
its dwellers are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
He brings the princes to nothing
and makes the rulers of the earth meaningless.
No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown,
no sooner have their stems taken root in the ground,
than He blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like stubble.
“To whom will you liken Me,
or who is My equal?” asks the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high:
Who created all these?
He leads forth the starry host by number;
He calls each one by name.
Because of His great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob,
and why do you assert, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my claim is ignored by my God”?
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary;
His understanding is beyond searching out.
He gives power to the faint
and increases the strength of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength;
they will mount up with wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not faint.

It’s not in forcing new circumstances, hoping for a raise, or striving to get things done that recharges us. Only when we wait on God: on His timing and on His way, and in quietness and trust that we receive the power and strength we need to get through another cold, dreary day. Yes, sunlight is vital to our health, but energy for our souls comes when we surrender control, wait, hope, and trust in God.