Rising Above Through God’s Promise
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the name of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
In the early 20th century, a man named Orville Wright stood with his brother Wilbur on a sandy hill in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The Wright brothers had faced countless failures and ridicule in their attempts to build a flying machine. But on December 17, 1903, with only a small group of witnesses, their fragile plane lifted off the ground for 12 seconds. It was not just a flight; it was the beginning of a new era. That day, human beings learned to soar, not by their own strength, but by discovering the laws of lift that God had placed in creation.
This story reminds us of the promise in Isaiah 40:31: “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Just as the Wright brothers discovered a new way to rise above the earth, so too, when we place our hope in God, He lifts us above our struggles and renews our strength.
The prophet Isaiah wrote these words to people who were weary and discouraged, exiled far from home, and burdened by doubt. They felt powerless. Yet Isaiah points them not to their own strength but to God’s endless power. He reminds them that even the strongest young men grow tired, but those who put their trust in the Lord will find a strength that does not fail.
In our lives, we too face seasons of weariness—struggles at work, uncertainties in family life, health challenges, or the quiet heaviness of unanswered prayers. At such times, it is easy to lose heart. But Isaiah assures us that when we place our hope in God, He renews us daily. Like eagles catching the currents of the wind, we are lifted—not by our effort, but by God’s Spirit.
This October, on the 4th Sunday at Rivercourt Methodist Church, Hammersmith, we will once again gather to celebrate Bible Sunday. It is through the Word of God that we hear this promise afresh: that our strength does not depend on us, but on the One who never grows tired or weary. The Bible is our reminder that God carries us, empowers us, and enables us to walk forward in faith without fainting.
May this Bible Sunday encourage us to renew our hope in the Lord, to rise on the wings of His promises, and to find strength for the journey ahead.
May God bless you all.
In Christ’s love,
Revd. Prasad Vasanthakumar
Minister, London Tamil Christian Congregation