“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
–Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, who is famous for playing Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane on the HBO series Game of Thrones, broke a weight-lifting world record when he lifted over half a metric ton. This amazing feat took place at Thor’s Power Gym in Iceland.
Known as “Thor” himself, Bjornsson is a giant, standing at 6-foot-9 and 425 pounds. Bjornsson broke the previous record of 1,102.31 pounds (500 kilograms), which was set in 2016.
I don’t know about you, but just thinking about lifting that much weight makes me tired. My idea of weight training is going to a nice restaurant and lifting a heavy forkful of food to my mouth. Another great example is lifting a heavy package that contains something I’ve been longing for, which just arrived by snail mail.
That brings us to the other form of “wait training”, in which we are life’s students, and life is our teacher. Think about sitting at the doctor’s office, or waiting in line. You can either cringe at the thought, or you can make the deliberate choice to discipline your reactions, instead of giving the person at the appointment desk a piece of your mind.
If we are honest, most of us don’t react to waiting this politely. So the question becomes: How do you and I intend to react when it comes to the future? We may rationalize our behavior, making excuses like, “I was tired,” or, “he or she makes me so mad sometimes!” But we can’t allow ourselves to be ruled by these feelings any longer.
For example, while I don’t want to be unkind, I came across a form of what I consider to be rationalization in an article recently. It claimed that there was actually a psychological basis for waiting.
Now don’t get me wrong–the waiting we do every day can be an annoying problem, but there is another form of waiting which is mentioned in the Bible.
To find out more about this, God invites us to enroll in his wait-training program. Allow me to enlarge on what I spoke about in another blog entry called “When the Clock Struck Midnight”, which came out on New Year’s Day of 2002.
The program itself is free, but it requires your full attention and active partisipation. It is also on-the-job training, which is ongoing and includes a lifetime membership. The only required cost comes when you purchase the manual, if desired. (If you prefer, this required textbook known as the Bible can be found for free online.)
Wait Training 101 is unlike any course you may have taken in the past, because it is tailored to each student’s individual needs. There is no traditional school building, because classes are conducted in the real-life setting of each pupil, and every student will go at their own speed.
Because of this individuality, I can’t tell you exactly what your class structure will look like, but I can give you a general idea. Courses will be centered around themes such as prayer and worship.
Now we come to everyone’s two favorite subjects, grading and testing. Grading will be conducted on a pass-fail basis. However, classes may be repeated as often as necessary. While major tests may be given at any time, shorter pop quizzes are often given on the spot. In the same way, finals may be given without notice.
This brings us to the topic of degrees and rewards. Pupils will be rewarded according to their obedience, and according to the use of the gifts God has given them.
I have it on the best authority that graduation is to die for. So while your particular course may seem rigorous at times, finishing with honors is the goal of many students in the King’s university. Personalize this goal by making it your passion.
If your particular course seems tedious, to say the least, hang in there, and join God’s university today! By joining, you will automatically become His follower, and you can be assured that the King’s door is always open. But whether you are a new or returning student, I hope you’ll make it your goal to graduate with honors. Then, at the graduation ceremony, you will hear God say to you, “You have done well, good and faithful student! You have been faithful in a few things, so I will give you authority over many things.”
Thank you for reading this, and may the Lord give you a wonderful week! We are trying to reach people who are hurting, so if God lays it on your heart, please consider becoming a partner with us. If you would like to make a donation, please visit www.hcmachaplains.org and click on the Donate Now link. You can also send donations by mail to HCMA (Healthcare Chaplains Ministry Association). Our ID number is 560. The address is 101 S Kraemer BLVD, Suite 123A, Placentia, CA 92870.
Finally, you’re always welcome to join our Tuesday night Bible study. These studies are conducted by conference call, and they take place at 6:30 PM Arizona time. Our conference number is 313-209-8800. Our PIN is 8699032. We hope to talk with you soon!
If you have questions, comments or prayer requests for Timothy or Stephanie Burdick, please call 507-369-6861.