Apr 20 – Sharpened!

“Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth; You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, and make the hills like chaff.” (Isaiah 41:15)

How wonderful this promise of the Lord is! When the Lord looks at us, He sees us like a sharp instrument. He sees us as people empowered to crush mountains and reduce hills to chaff.

A person who wants to cut down a tree with an axe will first check whether the axe is sharp. If it is dull, then all his strength will be wasted, and the tree will not be cut down.

In the same way, when you begin any task, if you first pray and then act, you will find that it is successful. But if you attempt it without prayer, you may end up like someone trying to cut wood with a dull axe—returning disappointed because nothing worked.

For example, suppose you go to meet someone. You travel by bus to their house, only to hear that they have just stepped out. So you return later in the evening. If even after several attempts you still cannot meet him, what should you do?

One thing you should do is to kneel down and pray. Say, “Lord, I want to meet this person. Until now I have tried without praying, and so I could not meet them. Now please take responsibility and help me meet them.”

Then you may even find that the very person you were seeking comes looking for you at your home! That is the difference between cutting wood with a dull axe as against a sharp axe.

Sharpen your spiritual life by waiting at the feet of the Lord. Examine yourself. Set aside time to correct what needs to be corrected. Wait upon the Lord.

The Bible says: “But those who wait on 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 40:31)

At times our bodies may grow tired. We may feel weak and unable to pray. In such moments, do not remain like a dull axe.

Children of God, even when you feel unable to pray, begin to praise the Lord. Gently speak in tongues and glorify Him. Then the Lord will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

Verse for further meditation: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)