The prophet Isaiah wrote about knees. So did the apostle
Paul. They knew there’d be times when our limbs would quake. We’d open our eyes to
the events of the day and find it hard to stand.
“Strengthen the rubbery knees,” Isaiah
writes (Isaiah 35:3 The Message).
Paul echoed Isaiah’s words in Hebrews 12,
“. . . strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.” Perhaps it’s a time
of discipline that’s left you wobbly, as it was when Paul wrote these words to
the Hebrews. Or maybe, it has nothing to do with a choice you made. Maybe, it’s
a boatload of stuff you didn’t see coming at all. One event after another
blindsided you —a health diagnosis, a financial reversal, a family heartache. You’re
tottering, looking for something to hold, trying to breathe. Maybe, you face a challenge larger than anything you've ever dreamed, and overwhelmed doesn't begin to describe the way you feel.
Isaiah went on with consoling words for
those who are having trouble staying upright. “Tell fearful souls, ‘Courage! Take heart! God is here, right here, on his way to put things right.’”
He’s right here. He hasn’t lost
your address or forgotten he made you. Though your knees are shaking, you’re
still standing. That's enough. In that critical chapter
Paul wrote about putting on the armor of God, he says, “ Take all the help you
can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting
you’ll still be on your feet”(Ephesians 6:13).
Years ago, when the tragic loss of a friend
to suicide coupled with a trauma from the past led to posttraumatic
stress, one of the first and the most enduring symptoms I had was shaking
knees. And though God has brought immense healing to my life, still today, if a
piece of my armor gets loose, and I don’t allow God to shoulder burdens with
me, that symptom sneaks back in. It’s a way God allows my body to indicate I’m not
allowing the Lord to do what only He can do.
So, friend, like you, some days with my
wobbly knees, I’m just standing. But, when it’s “all over but the shouting,” standing
for the glory of God is a great thing, and remember, He's right here.