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If you know me, you know I love coffee. I drink it black,  I drink a lot of it, and I’ll admit that at times I can be a little bit of a coffee snob. On a Monday morning, I’m probably not the person who’s going to tell you that you don’t need another cup of coffee.

But maybe this morning, another cup isn’t what we need most. Monday's  have a way of reminding us what’s waiting for us. The calendar is full, there’s work to be done, there are people who need something from us. Maybe you’re already thinking about a conversation you don’t want to have, a problem you need to solve, or everything you didn’t get finished last week so before the week has really even started, you can already feel tired.

Isaiah 40:31: has long been my favorite verse in the Bible: “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.” I love that verse, and the older I get, the more I appreciate the last part of it. I’m not a runner. I used to run when I was younger, but these days I’m much more of a walker and, quite frankly, I don’t really like to run.

I’m discovering something similar in my spiritual life, walking works better than running. There have been seasons when I’ve tried to run through life, run from one responsibility to the next,  run to solve the next problem, run to meet the next need, and sometimes we can even convince ourselves that because we’re running for God, everything must be right.

But God never asked us to outrun Him. again and again, the Bible describes our relationship with God as a walk.  Enoch walked with God, Noah walked with God. Paul tells us to walk by the Spirit and here Isaiah promises that those who wait on the Lord will “walk and not become weary.”

Maybe there’s something to that. Walking isn’t flashy, it isn’t fast, and sometimes it doesn’t even feel like you’re accomplishing very much. But walking is steady. Walking allows you to notice what’s around you. And when you’re walking with someone, you move at a pace that allows you to stay close.

Maybe that’s what some of us need this Monday. Not to run faster, not to cram more into the calendar, Not even another cup of coffee although I’m probably still going to have one.

Maybe we need to slow down long enough to walk with God. Spend a few minutes in His Word, talk to Him before you start tackling the list, sit quietly in His presence, remind yourself that everything waiting for you today doesn’t rest entirely on your shoulders.

Isaiah says those who wait on the Lord will gain new strength. There may be moments when God allows us to soar. There may be seasons when He gives us strength to run.

But most days? We walk , and I’m learning that’s not a lesser kind of faith.  A steady walk with God will take you farther than constantly trying to run on your own strength.

So go ahead and pour yourself another cup of coffee. I probably will. But while you’re pouring it, remember coffee might wake you up, but it can’t renew your strength.

Only God can do that so before you start running into another week, slow down. Wait on the Lord and walk with Him.

Grace for the week ahead,

Pastor Dave