Day 81 - Knowing Your Pace

Emily Green

“Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. 29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. 30 Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. 31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” - Isaiah 40:28-31 NLT

Once you find your path, it is important to know your pace. Pace is what makes every person’s journey different.

Isaiah 40:31 is a verse that a lot of Christians can quote. It’s the Scripture we see on paintings and plaques, pillows and T-shirts. We hear it a lot and see it a lot because this verse holds so many incredible promises to those who trust in God! When we trust in God, we find new strength. We soar high on wings like eagles. We can run and not grow weary. We can walk and not faint.

Notice those last two sentences. One says “run,” and one says “walk.” It doesn’t say that those who trust in God will run while those who don’t trust in God will walk. On the contrary, it says that those who trust in God will both run and walk, which are two different paces, and Isaiah 40:31 doesn’t seem to have a preference over one or the other.

This verse makes me think back to when I ran two half-marathons in college. Well, I should probably have put “ran” in quotation marks because let’s be honest, I did not run those things. Sure, I ran part of it, but I also did some walking. As the race continued, my pace changed. I started faster, then slowed down, then went faster towards the end. Some people finished the race before me. Some finished the race after me. However, what is most important is that we all finished.

We may be tempted to think that a slower pace is less significant than a faster pace. We see people get saved, dive into God’s Word, jump into serving, and quickly excel into leadership. However, we also see people who get saved and start studying God’s Word slowly and intimately. They begin serving when they’re ready, and they take their time as they adjust to the new lifestyle of following Christ.

Which one is more significant?

According to Isaiah 40:31, both.

May I encourage you today to embrace your pace? This is not an excuse to procrastinate or put off responsibility. However, this is giving yourself grace for the pace of life that you can maintain right now. Like me while I was running my half-marathon, your pace may change, and that’s okay. Whether you’re walking or running, what’s important is that you’re moving forward on the journey that God has set out for you!

Next Steps

  • Think about it: Have I compared the pace of my spiritual journey with someone else’s pace? Why or why not?

  • Think about it: What pace is God asking me to keep right now?

  • Action Step: Identify a friend or colleague that’s moving forward in their relationship with God. Text or call them today to encourage them!