Running Well
A previous blog looked at some encouragement from Isaiah and the beautiful picture of soaring with wings like eagles. Here is what Isaiah said, “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for 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.” Isaiah 40:30-31. Today I want to look at the second image, running and not growing weary.
Isaiah is guiding us into the secrets of endurance and strength, two things every runner needs. The sport and hobby of running can be both exhilarating and exhausting. The type of runner Isaiah is referring to is an athlete who has trained to run well. In the rapid pace of our modern life, we are encouraged to run hard and fast. We are told to be first and be the best. We are told second place is the first loser. So, every morning we get up and we run. We run at work, we run with family, we run at school, we run with our social image, and we run at other goals.
My wife is the real runner of the family as a ranked marathon runner. I have run some half marathons, but not the number or length that she has. I can tell you from my limited running experience, there is an excitement on race day that is hard to match. You train months for one special day and then to have streets lined with people encouraging you and runners beside you. It is a highly emotional moment and one that brings you back to do it again.
You train to run at a certain pace. On race day, if you run faster or slower than you trained, you will not run well. On one race, I ran with some guys who ran faster than I had trained. I kept up with them for about 5 miles, and then I had a problem. I had spent too much energy running at a pace I was not prepared to maintain. I had to drop back and was off for the rest of the race. I finished, but behind the time I had trained to achieve. I ran too fast and got weary.
It is not just the pace that can make you weary, it is the course as well. Usually, between miles 10-12 the course has a split, the half marathoners go one way and the full marathoners go the other. At that point about 90% of the runners and the crowd go one way, and it becomes a lonely road for the full marathoners. The emotional charge of the crowds is gone, and the fellowship of other runners disappears. Sometimes, life gets like a full marathon race. Everything was great with other runners and a crowd cheering you on and then one decision changes everything. The energy of others is gone, and the drudgery of loneliness settles in. It becomes not just physically wearing but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually as well.
What is Isaiah’s encouragement in the face of growing weary because of the pace of life? It is to run at God’s pace. If a runner finds their pace and settles into that groove, they can run a long time and expend minimal amounts of energy. If you can find the pace God has designed for your life you will cover a lot of ground while being empowered by His energy.
How do you know if you are not running at the pace God intends for you? When we begin to use the phrase “I am so/too busy” often, we are running at the wrong pace. If you really are too busy then you are trying to do things that God has not given you to do, or you are trying to do them faster than He intended. That is not to say there will not be full and demanding days, but those days are not “too” busy and even the work you do will not leave you weary. If God can make the sun stand still so Joshua can finish the battle, God can provide enough time and energy for you to accomplish the tasks He has for you.
In these last few weeks, I have found times where I was trying to run faster and further than God had designed my day to be. I have also had days that full and ended with me tired, but not exhausted and weary. Those were full and fruitful days and I fell asleep with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. I ran, but I did not get weary.
So, let me ask you, how are you running today? Are you on course? Are you at the pace you need to be at? Are you invigorated by the crowd and fellow runners? Are you on that lonely stretch and need to know God is with you? However, today’s race is to be run, learn to lean on the LORD and find His strength, His pace, and His purpose for the day. At the end of the day, you will know you have run the race, but you will also be able to wake up refreshed for tomorrow and ready to run again. When the LORD is the strength and pace for the race, you can run and not grow weary.