Loving God, through your Son, Jesus Christ, you have shared in all suffering since the beginning of the world. When you seem far away, remind us of your presence, and teach us to wait for you and thus be renewed; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

I don't know if there are more right now than there used to be, but there seem to be a large number of people these days with a reigning sense of hopelessness in their lives. For some, it is because they can't seem to find appropriate employment, or because they have lost their employment. For others, the pain of loss and grief seems overwhelming. Some are dealing with long-term illnesses, and still others find no hope in the prospect of getting old. For others, the pain of failed relationships looms large, and the prospect of ever finding a loving partner seems hopeless.

This sense of hopelessness seems to affect people, regardless of what age group they are part of. There have been articles written about the feared rise in elder suicides, as seniors find themselves unable to cope with aging, ill health and grief. Not too long ago, I heard that approximately one third of the baby boomer generation suffer from clinical depression. Meanwhile, I have spoken to young people who have given up trying because they see no hope of ever having decent employment. Is it worse now than it used to be?

We could probably debate that for a while. However, it's interesting to note that even in the Bible, there is no shortage of people who suffered just as much, or more, than people today. Take Job, for example -- a man who had every reason to give up hope. He was a wealthy man, with many flocks, herds and servants, as well as ten children. All in one day, he lost all of those flocks and herds, most of his servants were killed, and all of his children died in a wind storm. For most people, this would be enough to make them give up any faith in God and push them right over the edge.

But Job is a man of unusual faith. He mourns his losses, and he grieves for his children, but one of the first things he does is to worship God. Job says:

Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21).

How many of us could respond with such faith?

As the story continues, Job also loses his health, and his whole body is covered with terrible sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Even in the midst of this trial, Job's faith remains. He asks, "Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?" (Job 2:10)

There follows after this a long period of suffering for Job, during which he has three friends trying to tell him that it's all his fault and God is punishing him. With friends like these, who needs enemies, right? As it turns out, Job was not being punished, but his faith was being tested. Eventually, Job's fortunes are restored, and the end of his life is even better than the beginning.

This is Job, but then I also think of Elijah, who came up a couple of weeks ago, too. You might recall that he was a great prophet by all accounts and performed many miracles by the power of God. Yet, he reaches the point of despair after a death threat from Queen Jezebel. Elijah goes out into the wilderness, sits down under a broom tree, and asks God to let him die. But God has something else in mind. Instead, God allows Elijah to sleep, makes sure he takes time to eat and drink, and renews him through the experience of the still small voice at the cave. Once restored in this way, Elijah is sent out to continue his work. As it turns out, what Elijah really needed was to take some time to wait for the Lord.

Finally, in today's first lesson from Isaiah, we have all of the people of Israel who have lost all hope and believe that God has forgotten about them. They have been taken away from their homeland and are living in exile. They have been saying that God doesn't see this, doesn't give them justice, and doesn't know what their troubles are like. In response to this complaint, Isaiah shares a whole poem that reminds the people of how God sees everything and has power in every situation. Human beings might grow weak or faint and might be powerless at times, yet God remains their source of strength and power.

Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those 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 (Is. 40:30-31).

Those who wait for the Lord will be renewed. In this world of instant tellers and quick fixes we don't want to hear about anything that involves waiting. Yet, it is those who wait for the Lord who will renew their strength.

Now, you might wonder what waiting for the Lord actually means. To wait for the Lord is to wait in hope, expecting God to act. Waiting for the Lord involves setting anger or fretting aside and trusting in God instead. From Psalm 37:

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the noonday. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices. Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret -- it leads only to evil. For the wicked shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land (Ps. 37:5-9).

Waiting for the Lord involves taking the time to be quiet, to sit in silence, to listen for the voice of God's Spirit. Waiting for the Lord was what Jesus was doing when he got up early in the morning and went out to a quiet place to pray (Mk. 1:35). Even Jesus needed to take this time in God's presence in order to renew his strength and clarify his vision for ministry. How much more then, do we need this time spent in the presence of God?

It is interesting to note that we are not told how long we might have to wait for the Lord before our strength will be renewed. Instead, we are told to look to the Lord for our hope, to take the time to quiet ourselves in God's presence, and to be persistent in prayer. There is no "maybe" in God's promise of renewal. It doesn't say that if you look to God, then maybe God will help you. "Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength" (Is. 40:31).

This is not to say that the waiting won't be difficult sometimes. It will be, and your faith will be tested. Meanwhile, the apostle Paul gives us this reminder:

No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it (1 Cor. 10:13).

In English, it is easy to miss the fact that this reminder is not directed at "you" as individuals. In this passage, "you" is plural. You, with the support of your brothers and sisters in Christ, will not be tested beyond your strength.

Meanwhile, you who wait for the Lord shall renew your strength, just as Jesus passed through the shadow and darkness of the cross in order to arrive at new life. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Epiphany 5(B)     Isaiah 40:21-31
February 8, 2009     Mark 1:29-39
St. Luke's Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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