The Right Pace

And a very good morning to you! It is Tuesday morning, 29th March, the year 2022, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan with a thought for today.

If we go to the Old Testament, Isaiah 40 and I am reading one verse, verse 31. We know it very well:

“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.”

We need to wait upon the Lord. Life is so hectic at the moment. We need to be like that majestic eagle (my favourite bird) in the high places. We need to rest on the wings. You never see an eagle flapping around, stressing. No, he locks his wings and catches those beautiful wind thermals - We need to mount up with wings, just like that eagle.

We need to run and not grow tired. We need to walk and not become faint-hearted. I think the eagle is one of the most beautiful of the Lord's creations. He is never in a rush, have you noticed that? He doesn’t fly around with a group of turkeys, no, no. He stays on his own and he catches those wind thermals and is totally focused. When we look at the eagle, we get fresh strength and I am talking about Jesus. We don’t get tired, we don’t lag behind.

John Wesley, that great evangelist, died at the age of 89. He preached 40,000 sermons and 225,000 miles ridden on his horse. They asked, ”What is the secret?” He said, “I take catnaps during the day.” I take five minutes just to close my eyes and rest... There is a point for somebody.

Just take a time out to have a rest and don’t waste valuable time, running up and down oneway streets. Keep focused on the goal that God has set before you. Wait on the Lord, don’t run ahead of Him. We must also savour the promises of God. Enjoy your life and by doing this we will find endless supplies of fresh strength... We must pace ourselves.

Remember Bruce Fordyce, he is an absolute legend in the world. He is the only man who has won the Comrades Marathon, which is 89km (more than two standard marathons), 9 times - 8 times in succession. Why? Because he paced himself, he let all those young guys run ahead but slowly and surely, he wound them in one by one. I used to watch him, he was always looking at his watch. He wasn’t looking around him and then of course he would come up Polly Shorts, into Pietermaritzburg and that runner in front, maybe some overseas runner, he would pat him on the back and he would shake his hand and then leave him in the dust!

Folks, we need to pace ourselves today and spend time with Jesus.
God bless you and have a wonderful day. Goodbye.