Strength for the Weary! … (October 2018 Update)
Isaiah 40:29-31 has been a favorite passage of mine since college. “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” It has encouraged me in many situations but I have never experienced its truth and power as clearly as when I was teaching last week (more below).
This passage was given to the nation of Israel when they were discouraged and without strength. And God reminded them that He gives strength to those who are weak. Notice, first, that this passage is a comparison between God’s strength and man’s weakness. It compares the strongest, most vigorous of mankind – young men – with God’s strength. But even the strongest will grow tired and faint. But those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength.
It is not that God’s people never become tired. We do. But it reminds us, that even when we lose our strength, His grace renews our strength as we learn to look to Him and wait on Him. When we wait on the Lord, it is His limitless strength that we experience not our own. But we only wait on Him when we admit our own weaknesses. That is the problem with most young men – they never admit their weaknesses and so they never wait. They can manage on their own.
Paul learned something about this in 2 Corinthians 12. He had a problem with a “thorn in the flesh.” He learned that God does not always take the thorns away, but His grace always gives strength. He said, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” We experience His power and strength in our weakness – when we learn to wait on Him and rest in Him!
Strength for Teaching …
In October, I taught a class on the Theology of Prayer and Worship. In September, I taught Soteriology at Kiev Theological Seminary for half of the day. The weekend before class, I was in the hospital having trouble breathing. So I started the week barely able to climb up one flight of stairs. In class, I would teach sitting down for an hour until break time and then just sleep on my desk during the break. I slept whenever I was not in class. By Tuesday evening, I was not sure I could go on. So I decided to ask for prayer from my friends on Facebook. And people started praying. By class on Wednesday, I was feeling a lot better and I had strength for the rest of the week. “He gives strength to the weary.”
I had two weeks before my class in L’viv and I was still struggling with tiredness and shortness of breath. I decided to ask for prayer on Facebook at the beginning of the week this time. I was amazed at my strength. I was able to daily climb 3 flights of stairs and taught class all day (8 hours) standing up. I spent my break times answering questions from students so I really didn’t get a break. I had to grade papers each night and prepare for the next day but I felt great. I have not felt this good since May when all this began! It truly was a testimony to the power of prayer! But also I saw again that “He gives strength to the weary.”
I always say that the best class is the class that asks the best questions. This was a great class – full of great questions. Because of their questions, this class became more than a class on Prayer and Worship which allowed me to talk with them about Biblical interpretation, hermeneutics, preaching, counseling, pastoral leadership and church planting. We were able to deal with questions biblically and practically. It was a great joy to be able to share situations from my years as a pastor and a church planter.
Reminders of God’s Grace …
During this class, I also had a number of reminders of how God has used our efforts over the years. To begin with, my translator was Sasha Savich. He was one of my first students when I began teaching in in Ukraine in 1996. He is currently the Dean of Pastoral Ministries at Ukrainian Baptist Seminary in L’viv and is doing a great job teaching and training pastors there. It was a real blessing to spend the week with him and to see all that God has been doing through him!
Another reminder came during one of our lunches. I started a conversation with a young man at lunch and found out that he was a new professor at the seminary. I learned that he recently graduated from ETF Seminary in Belgium where I also taught from 1996. He said he was working on his Ph.D. currently at the school with professor Maria Verhoeff. I was shocked. I told him that Maria had been a student of mine in 2002 and she was one of the smartest students I have ever had. He said she is currently Professor of Historical Theology at the seminary. I also asked about some of my other students there. One, Jelle Creemers, is currently Professor of Religious Studies and Missiology at ETF Seminary. What a great joy to hear that some I taught are now teaching others! Thank you for investing, not only in my life, but also in the lives of others who are now training other men and women for ministry too!
Finally, Kiev Seminary recently had a new student orientation last month. It is great to see all the students that God is bringing to our seminaries here in Ukraine. Keep in mind that most of our students will never receive a salary in ministry. They take time off work from their jobs to study at the seminary so that they can be more effective in ministry in their churches. They serve in many capacities, most of them at their own expense. It is a real joy to teach these students who are so excited about serving the Lord in Ukraine. Here are some pictures from the orientation.
Preparing for the States ….
We are getting ready for our trip home. We are excited and wondering how we can accomplish everything we want in such a short time. This year, because of my problems with the blockage in my lung, I cannot fly over 3 hours. So we will be traveling from England to the US by ocean liner. This trip takes 7 days one way! And we will be returning after Christmas also by boat. In short, that means our time in the states will be much shorter than usual. Usually we have a full 2 months to see everyone. This year, we will only have about 5 weeks to visit friends and families in Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida and Ohio. And we will be driving between places so that shortens our time even more. We will only be in AR for 2-3 Sundays so we will not even be able to visit all the churches that we normally do.
We are excited to be on the ocean liner but a little apprehensive too. I don’t like the water and crowds but it looks like we will be spending 7 days in the Atlantic (hopefully all IN the boat!). And we will be traveling in winter when the waves are the most severe. But our girls are definitely excited. When I returned home from teaching in L’viv, Kristina said, “Now we can go to the boat!” I told her not yet – we still have a couple of weeks to go. “No,” she replied, “Mama said we would be going to the boat after Papa returns.” It was hard to explain that what Mama said was true but she meant in a short time afterward.
So we are getting everything ready here. We are cleaning out our garden and raking up leaves and getting everything ready for winter. We have really been blessed with a good harvest and we have a lot of fruits and vegetables canned for the winter. Getting everything ready is a bit tiring but we know that “He gives strength to the weary.” And I, for one, need His strength more than ever!
Wonderful Time with Family …
Even with all our preparations, we found time to do some fun things together. We got to play in the leaves and go for some short hikes and bike rides. We went to the Zoological Museum and to the park in Kiev. The girls had a great time seeing the dinosaur bones and looking at the various dioramas of animals in their habitats at the museum.
Strength for His Service …
What a blessing it has been to be serving in Ukraine for the last 22 years! And Katya and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary this month and it reminded me that I have been living in Ukraine for over 8 years now. We don’t know what God’s plans are for the future but we know that “He gives strength to the weary.” So we are committed to serving Him as long as the door of ministry in Ukraine remains open. Pray for us and for our students as they minister here in Ukraine!
We are thankful for you and your prayers and support. Your prayers and support have sustained us many times. Through His grace, your love for us has frequently transformed our weakness into His strength. Thanks you for being faithful to us and to the Lord!
By His Grace,
Jim and Katya
Kristina and Nadia
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