Tired Out by the Length of Your Road?
Dear friend of All the Kings Horses Ministry
I was honored this past Saturday to speak at the monthly Men’s Breakfast hosted by The Crossing Church in Livingston New Jersey. Pastor Tim Chicola (pictured with me above) is a Christian leader who “gets it” in terms of the critical need to get Men together. He knows that we live on a battleground, not a playground.
I reminded the men in attendance that we can’t afford to fight our battles as if we are Boxers, slugging it out in the middle of a ring alone. The Biblical model is for us to fight our assigned battles shoulder to shoulder with other believers as an advancing army. When one falls down, another is there to help him up. As in the Marines, there should never be a man or woman left behind in the body of Christ.
Even so, the Prophet Isaiah reminds us that we all become battle weary at times, tempted to give up and say, “it is hopeless.”
Yet you did not say, ‘It is hopeless.’
You found renewed strength,
therefore you did not faint.” Isaiah 57:10
Weariness is almost always close at hand as I battle forward in my life and in this Ministry, as I carry the wounded soldier God has entrusted to me on my back, day after day and year after year. As I prepared to lead the Men’s breakfast this past week, my post-concussion syndrome reared its head. I felt as if I was smashing up against a brick wall again and again as I sought to concentrate on my outline. I became nauseous, feeling as if I might collapse. If you’ve read my book, you know I’ve suffered three epic collapses in years past, and consider myself very fortunate to be alive.
On Wednesday February 5th I laid down to nap in the afternoon. I awoke to sound of a “thump.” As I scrambled to clear the cobwebs, I realized the “thump” was Bryson. He had fallen on the bathroom floor. He was covered in his own excrement. He was naked as he attempted to clean himself. He had injured his foot. I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning him up, bathing him, bandaging him and comforting him.
How quickly the enemy can pounce, injecting his vile thoughts into our minds, just hoping we will assume the thoughts are ours alone, as he remains hidden. Indeed I was temped, at least for a moment, to say “it is hopeless.” The enemy’s voice seemed more real to me than the voice of God at that moment. In my mind, I had every reason to throw in the towel, every right to complain.
Where oh where can we go to receive new strength, and a renewed perspective? Isaiah does not tell us in the Scripture above. Thankfully, the Prophet gives us our answer just a few chapters earlier:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”?
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable.
He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.
Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary” Isaiah 40:27-31
And who is the Lord, this One upon Whom we are to wait? He is a King who created the entire Universe, and He controls every inch of it. It is an understatement to say He can deal with our weariness, and our “impossibilities.” This King never wastes our pain. He uses it for His glory, and amazingly, for our good, though we sometimes cannot see it for a while.
Although this King has immense power, He never imposes His will upon us. We must remember to come to Him. As we do, we will find, again and again, that He can be trusted to renew us and restore us.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Together with your help and partnership, shoulder to shoulder, I will serve this King and my hurting son until the end, with a sense of awe and privilege. As we seek to follow in His steps, is this not what the King Himself demonstrated?
Please know that I am grateful to you for your prayers and generous support to keep this modest, yet powerful Ministry on the front lines for Christ. God bless you and thank you.
Your brother in the battle for Christ.
Barry Milazzo
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