Over the years I have gone through various periods where I have really wanted to run. When I was just a young boy, I was a member of the Rockway Track and Field club and my specialty was running cross country. I was still pretty young when I learned what it meant to “Hit the Wall.” How many of you know what I’m talking about? You run and run and you begin to feel the tightening in the calves of the leg and you begin to experience more and more discomfort. You breathe faster. You breathe deeper and finally you begin to get a stitch or cramp in your gut and you feel like you are going to die. Everything within your being is screaming LET ME REST. I NEED TO STOP. I CAN”T KEEP GOING! HEY BRAIN – THIS IS BODY – Are you listening?
Have you been there? The thoughts I want to share with you today come out of something I was reading recently by Pastor Bill Butterworth. He too was a runner in his younger years. In the scriptures our lives are often compared to running a race. Let me ask you today. Where are you in the race of life? Do you have that ache in your calves. Are you gasping and grasping for more breath to give more oxygen to supply more blood to give more food needed my more muscles more often, and you just aren’t too sure how much more you can do? Well listen very carefully this morning because I want to share with you some thoughts out of God’s word about how you can get your second wind.
About a month ago I was facing somewhat of a crisis and feeling like something needs to change in me. I have struggled with my weakness for food and knew I needed to do something about it because I was feeling the strain on my body. I have in the last three weeks lost just over 20 pounds and still need to lose another 70. If you are wondering how I did it, I can tell you very simply … by eating healthy and exercising! If this gets out, it could sweep the country. Those of you who know me know that both sides of that equation are equally challenging for me. I love to eat unhealthy and I hate to exercise. Several years ago I became the poster child for cellulite and I got close to being able to hide cookies in the folds of my skin.
I am not an athlete by nature, so the exercise part was difficult. Some of you wake up and your waking thought is: “I can’t wait to work out, to exercise and sweat profusely.” I am not that kind of person. My waking thought is: “All right! How long will it be before I can be back in this bed!”
I made the choice four weeks ago to begin to eat carefully and exercise regularly. I have been going to the YMCA in Kitchener and doing a workout four times a week since then. My main thing is walking on the treadmill and while it is true that I am able to walk quite well, I cannot, nor do I have any desire to get back into running. I remember too well those days of hitting the wall. I learned back then that you are actually able to run through the pain, and the pain actually energizes you so that you are even stronger to finish the last leg of your race.
Runners call that “Experiencing the Second Wind.”
Scientists have researched this. They have looked at marathoners, for example, and have discovered that most “hit the wall” in either mile 20 or mile 21. Yet most marathoners go through and finish the race. How can they hit the wall at the 20th mile and finish a race that is 26 miles in length? It’s because they’ve experienced the Second Wind.
I have experienced what it means to get your second wind. It is thrilling and exhilarating to run through the pain. I didn’t say it was easy – I said the results are worth it. The Scripture says that our life is like a race, and who in this room would not want a Second Wind . . . a fresh start . . . a new beginning in life? All of us understand what “hitting the wall” means in our lives, because “hitting a wall” is a metaphor for experiencing pain.
Pain is an equal opportunity employer. So it doesn’t matter whether you’re young or old, rich or poor, male or female. Wherever you are, whatever season of life you are in, many of us resonate with the idea of a Second Wind in our lives—a Second Wind that God Himself can give us.
The Scriptures are clear. All throughout the Bible, there are stories about characters who have experienced the Second Wind. Old Testament. New Testament. Couples. Single adults. Older folks. Younger folks. The Bible is filled with stories of people who have experienced that Second Wind.
I want to look at a few of them with you this morning, but before we do, there is one very important question that I need you to answer mentally, in the privacy of your mind, so that you can take the most benefit from today’s talk. And here’s the question:
What is the “Wall” in your life? Metaphorically, what is that “Wall” in your life today?
There are dozens of potential possibilities. Maybe your “wall” is one of the more obvious issues of struggle and crisis and pain. Maybe it’s a Medical Issue. Maybe the doctor has recently informed you of something that makes you very unhappy. You’re very unsettled with the prognosis, and it doesn’t make it any better that the doctor doesn’t seem to know whether he will be able to take care of it or not.
Maybe the “wall” in your life is Financial. Maybe you’re a victim of downsizing and you don’t think you’ve landed on your feet well at all. You don’t have a chance to think about the future. You’re trying to figure out how it’s going to work out in the present . . . right now . . . today.
Maybe the “wall” in your life is Relational. Maybe your marriage is in trouble, and you’re having a difficult time holding it together. Maybe you’ve just gone through an ugly break-up where you’re the victim of divorce. Maybe the “wall” in your life is a rebellious child who is breaking your heart with his or her disobedience, or something that is going on with one of your grandchildren that you just don’t understand.
Maybe your wall is your work.
These are all potential “walls” that are in our lives that are very serious things. But I’d like to suggest that there are even more personal and private “walls” that many of us deal with that have nothing to do with the ones I’ve already mentioned.
Maybe the “wall” in your life today is Disappointment.
You find yourself thinking:
I’m not real pleased with where I am in my life right now. If you had told me ten years ago that this is where I would be in ten years, I would have laughed at you. I would have thought, “No, I can do better than that. I’m going to be in a different place.”
Maybe the “wall” is Regret, or maybe it’s Failure. Maybe there is no kind way to say what the “wall” is in a particular area of your life where you just flat-out blew it. You wish you could have that time or experience back. You wish you could redo it, but you can’t. It’s a failure in your life.
Maybe Frustration is your “wall.” You’re the kind of person who wakes up with a knot in your stomach before you can even focus your thoughts. You have a lot of stuff going on in your life that’s very stressful.
Maybe it’s Lethargy or Fatigue. The very thought of talking about running a race makes you very tired. You just want to take a nap.
Maybe the “wall” in your life is Depression. You’re sad all the time . . . about everything.
Maybe the “wall” in your life is Cynicism or Isolation:
“I’ve reached out before. People burn me. I don’t need them any more. I’m going to operate as a solo from here on.”
Maybe it’s Fear or Anxiety or Anger.
Maybe the “wall” in your life is that life’s just not fun anymore. Your life’s not bad. It’s just not exciting. It’s what my kids would call “same old, same old.” The routine is rapidly deteriorating into a rut. And in your innermost thoughts, you secretly wish that God would open a whole new door of opportunity—a whole new season of life would unfold that you could walk through and experience life beyond your wildest dreams. And granted there’s part of you that’s afraid, and that sounds very risky. But still, that resonates with you. You want a new season in your life.
I have good news for you, folks:
No matter what your “wall” is, life is a marathon.
Even though we’ve “hit a wall,” God promises us a Second Wind.
The life of the couple I’ve chosen to look at offers a beautiful illustration of a Second Wind experience. We find their story in the first chapter of Luke’s gospel—Zachariah and Elizabeth.
If you are like I am, I tend to hear about Zachariah and Elizabeth only at Christmastime, because their story interweaves with the story of Mary giving birth to Jesus. Of course, Zachariah and Elizabeth are going to give birth to John the Baptist who will be the forerunner of the Lord Jesus. So their stories intermingle, but in this story of Zachariah and Elizabeth, we have a beautiful example of Second Wind.
Even though it’s spring, let’s pretend it’s Christmastime. We’ll look at Luke I together and discuss what Zachariah and Elizabeth experienced in terms of a Second Wind. Two or three simple points, and then I would like to read the story to you, because it’s rather lengthy. I’ll just make a comment or two about them, and then we’ll be through.
The first thing I want you to understand in terms of Second Wind is:
1.) God has some very strange ideas about who is qualified for a Second Wind.
Listen to the story about Zechariah and Elizabeth. The first section is Luke I, verses 5-18 (New Living Translation):
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5. It all begins with a Jewish priest, Zechariah, who lived when Herod was king of Judea. Zechariah was a member of the priestly order of Abijah. His wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. |
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6. Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. |
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7. They had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and now they were both very old. |
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8. One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. |
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9. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary and burn incense in the Lord’s presence. |
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10. While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying. |
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11. Zechariah was in the sanctuary when an angel of the Lord appeared, standing to the right of the incense altar. |
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12. Zechariah was overwhelmed with fear. |
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13. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! For God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John. |
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14. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice with you at his birth, |
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15. for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or hard liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. |
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16. And he will persuade many Israelites to turn to the Lord their God. |
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17. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah, the prophet of old. He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom.” |
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18. Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” |
He goes on to explain the ministry of John the Baptist, and Zachariah’s response in verse 18 is: “How can I know this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”
Now, folks, I grew believing that Bible Characters were somehow different. They didn’t have warts, or bad breath. They never had messy hair or passed gas, but guess what. They were human and actually had very human problems. When you study the lives of Zacharias and Elizabeth, you find that these were real live folk. Let’s put flesh and bone on them.
Zacharias is a priest. He’s the New Testament version of a successful pastor. He has a wonderful, godly wife. They are the hallmark of their community—the bastion of their town. They are righteous and blameless, but there is one issue that has plagued them their entire adult life— Elizabeth is unable to have a baby.
You may know personally, or through a friend or family member, the pain of being unable to conceive a child when that is your wish. Can you imagine that kind of pain magnified by being in a culture that has a distorted view that the reason you are unable to conceive is that God is judging you, because after all, you are, deep down, a very wicked person? That’s what Elizabeth and Zacharias were carrying around.
As we pick up their story in Luke 1, Zacharias has been chosen by the toss of the dice to present the offering for sin in the holy place. He had done this many times and it was always an honour to be chosen by the Lord for this service.
The first thing that he sees when he goes in is an angel. We tend to think of angels as lovely beings maybe with long auburn hair and a slight Scottish accent, but in the bible days, the presence of an angel was not always good news. This is why the angels always have to say:
Fear not! I’m here to tell you your prayers have been answered. You and Elizabeth are going to have a baby.
Poor Zacharias. I’m sure he’s thinking:
WHAT!! We haven’t even prayed that prayer request for twenty years! You guys are just now getting around to things we prayed twenty-five years ago! You’ve gotta work on the system up there! This is not good!
So, quite naturally, Zacharias expresses some doubt and in so doing he illustrates the human condition. After all, when I stand here and tell you that you can have a Second Wind, if you’re not careful you will think:
Well I hope somebody else sitting here at Rosebank is paying attention, because this message certainly wouldn’t have to do with me. I’m too old, or too young, or too inexperienced, or too established in my routine to make a change, or too weak, or too disqualified, or too sick, or too financially burdened.
Zacharias’ response is:
You’ve got the wrong guy here,
and God is saying:
No, I don’t.
Just like He says to you and me today:
I can give YOU a Second Wind.”
What Zacharias missed is a hallmark principle in Scripture that Paul puts best in Corinthians:
God is attracted to weakness.
In I Corinthians 1:27, Paul says:
God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things that are strong.
God delights to come to those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need Him. So even though Zacharias looks like a very strange candidate for a Second Wind, he is God’s choice.
Based on his response, we can all learn a lesson. It is the second part of the story, and is stated this way:
Be careful about belittling God’s ideas.
Look what happens to Zacharias in verses 18-25:
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18. Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” |
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19. Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! |
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20. And now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you won’t be able to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly come true at the proper time.” |
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21. Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out, wondering why he was taking so long. |
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22. When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures that he must have seen a vision in the Temple sanctuary. |
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23. He stayed at the Temple until his term of service was over, and then he returned home. |
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24. Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. |
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25. “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children!” |
Here we see Zacharias, in a very real human moment. He says to the angel:
I think you’ve got the wrong guy here.
And in that statement, he questions God’s ability to do something in his life. So the angel says:
You need to learn from your mistakes since you did not believe that He is going to do something.
It’s what my son would say to one of our little grandsons:
You need a Time Out.
Have you ever seen a kid get a Time Out?
Go stand in the corner and think about what you’ve done.
In Zacharias’ case, it was “standing in that corner” for nine months!
You will not be able to speak for nine months because you did not believe that I can do this.
This is God’s message to Zacharias.
Zacharias has finished lighting the altar of incense. He comes out, and the people are waiting for a blessing. Typically, the priest would say:
The incense is lit.
Then he would give the Aaronic blessing:
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and give you peace.
Zacharias could do none of that. In fact, he just starts making signs, and they say:
He must have had a vision.
But they’re very confused. He’s just making signs:
They have no idea what’s going on!
He goes home and who know’s? Maybe it is his obvious state of distress, being unable to talk that prompts the TLC he receives from his aging wife Elizabeth. She becomes pregnant, and she becomes the polar opposite of Zacharias. Where Zacharias did not believe, Elizabeth says:
“How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children!”
Elizabeth understood that the key to this was Faith. Somehow she believed in spite of her age she could carry this baby to full term and a healthy birth.
In Hebrews 11:6, it says:
Without faith, it is impossible to please God.
And that may be exactly where you are today. Where God is saying to you:
You need to trust me a little bit more. I know this is a little outside the box for you. I know this is a very difficult time for you, but do you believe me enough to give me your life so that we can move you in the direction that you need to go to be all you can be for me?
That’s what it takes. It was just like Zachariah and Elizabeth. He did not believe. She had Faith, and it made all the difference in the world. So, if we’re going to gravitate to a Bible character today, we certainly want it to be Elizabeth and learn the lesson of Faith.
But there’s a good ending to this story—even a happy ending—in Zachariah’s case, because God said to him:
I’m willing to give you a second chance. I’m willing to give you a Second Wind.
And that’s our third and final point:
Even when you “hit the wall,” you can still experience the “Second Wind.”
Because Luke I interweaves Mary’s story with Elizabeth’s story, we jump all the way to verse 57 to get the ending story of Zachariah and Elizabeth. This is a wonderful ending in verses 57-68:
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57. Now it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, and it was a boy. |
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58. The word spread quickly to her neighbors and relatives that the Lord had been very kind to her, and everyone rejoiced with her. |
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59. When the baby was eight days old, all the relatives and friends came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. |
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60. But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!” |
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61. “What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.” |
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62. So they asked the baby’s father, communicating to him by making gestures. |
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63. He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John!” |
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64. Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God. |
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65. Wonder fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. |
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66. Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “I wonder what this child will turn out to be? For the hand of the Lord is surely upon him in a special way.” |
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67. Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy: |
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68. “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited his people and redeemed them. |
This is a great ending, folks. The baby is born. Bouncing baby! This is great! Jewish tradition kicks in. Eight days and they’re going to take him to the temple, circumcise him, and give him his name. All Jewish babies had family names. It was just assumed that it would be Zacharias, Jr., or Little Zacharias, or Zackie! What Elizabeth says to the friends and the relatives is:
No. No indeed! We’re going to call him John.
And they’re like . . .
I can’t think of anybody in our family called John. No grandparents, or cousins or uncles. What is that all about?
I don’t think I’m reading too much into the story to suggest that perhaps, at that point , someone might have said:
Well. Personally I’m not so sure that everything is OK between Elizabeth and Zacharias. He hasn’t said two words to her during the entire pregnancy. He’s very aloof and distant. I can’t get him to talk to me either.
So they’re thinking:
A-hah! Maybe she’s getting back at him by pulling this name out of a hat.
So they decide:
Let’s ask Zacharias what he thinks.
This is my absolute favourite part of the story, because:
They made signs to his father as to what he wanted him called.
I have little notes here in the margin of my Bible:
He’s mute not deaf!
And if he could speak, I’m sure he’d say:
I can hear you perfectly!
So he says:
Give me a tablet.
Now I’m not sure what a “tablet” in New Testament times looked like.
I don’t know if it was spiral-bound and you took dictation on them, or whether if it was made of granite like Fred and Barney used when they were writing Betty or Wilma.
Somehow, they got a tablet over there, and he wrote down:
His name is John.
He got it! The people were astonished, and while they were all sucking wind, God said:
Lesson learned, Zacharias.
His tongue was loosed, and he was able to speak, and the text says:
He gave praise to God.
I for one am very grateful that after nine months, Zacharias didn’t open his mouth and start right in:
Well! I’m still not sure why God would be doing this! This makes no sense to me whatsoever. It’s the stupidest thing I ever heard!
Nope. It says he praised God—code for:
This time, Zacharias said, “It’s Your way, all the way.”
I am so grateful that God is the God of the Second Wind—the second chance. He says:
Hey, Zacharias. Even after nine months, I’m willing to let you try it again.
And if you continue to read Luke I, he gives a song of praise to how great God is, because he finally gets it. It took a couple of times, but it finally sunk in.
Aren’t you glad that’s the God we know and serve today—the God who wants us to have a new beginning, who wants us to have a second chance, who wants us to have life beyond our wildest dreams? Just like He worked in the life of Zacharias, He can work that way in my life and in yours.
Let me close it with this illustration that will, hopefully, drive it home.
“Carl’s Garden”
Carl was a quiet man. He didn’t talk much. He would always greet you with a big smile and a firm handshake. Even after living in our neighbourhood for over 50 years, no one could really say they knew him very well.
Before his retirement, he took the bus to work each morning. The lone sight of him walking down the street often worried us. He had a slight limp from a bullet wound received in W.W.II. Watching him, we worried that although he had survived W.W.II, he may not make it through our changing uptown neighborhood with its ever-increasing random violence, gangs, and drug activity.
When he saw the flyer at our local church asking for volunteers for caring for the gardens behind the minister’s residence, he
responded in his characteristically unassuming manner. Without fanfare, he just signed up.
He was well into his 87th year when the very thing we had always feared finally happened. He was just finishing his watering for the
day when three gang members approached him. Ignoring their attempt to intimidate him, he simply asked, “Would you like a drink from the hose?” The tallest and toughest-looking of the three said, “Yeah, sure,” with a malevolent little smile. As Carl offered the hose to him, the other two grabbed Carl’s arm, throwing him down. As the hose snaked crazily over the ground, dousing everything in its way, Carl’s assailants stole his retirement watch and his wallet, and then fled.
Carl tried to get himself up, but he had been thrown down on his bad leg. He lay there trying to gather himself as the minister came running to help him. Although the minister had witnessed the attack from his window, he couldn’t get there fast enough to stop it. “Carl, are you okay? Are you hurt?” the minister kept asking as he helped Carl to his feet. Carl just passed a hand over his brow and sighed, shaking his head.
“Just some kids with too much idle time on their hands. I hope they’ll wise-up someday.” His wet clothes clung to his slight frame as he bent to pick up the hose. After a few deep breaths to get his wind back he adjusted the nozzle again and started to water. Confused and a little concerned, the minister asked, “Carl, what are you doing?” “I’ve got to finish my watering. It’s been very dry lately,” came the calm reply. Satisfying himself that Carl really was all right, the minister could only marvel. Carl was a man from a different time and place.
A few weeks later the three returned. Just as before their threat was unchallenged. Carl again offered them a drink from his hose. This time they didn’t rob him. They wrenched the hose from his hand and drenched him head to foot in the icy water. When they had finished their humiliation of him, they sauntered off down the street, throwing catcalls and curses, falling over one another laughing at the hilarity of what they had just done.
Carl just watched them. Then he turned toward the warmth giving sun, picked up his hose, and catching his second wind, he went on with his watering. The summer was quickly fading into fall. Carl was doing some tilling one day when he was startled by the sudden approach of someone behind him.
He stumbled and fell into some evergreen branches. As he struggled to regain his footing, he turned to see the tall leader of his summer tormentors reaching down for him. He braced himself for the expected attack.
“Don’t worry old man, I’m not gonna hurt you this time.” The young man spoke softly, still offering the tattooed and scarred hand to Carl. As he helped Carl get up, the man pulled a crumpled bag from his pocket and handed it to Carl.
“What’s this?” Carl asked. “It’s your stuff,” the man explained. “It’s your stuff back. Even the money in your wallet.” “I don’t understand,” Carl said. “Why would you help me now?”
The man shifted his feet, seeming embarrassed and ill at ease. “I learned something from you,” he said. “I ran with that gang and hurt people like you. We picked you because you were old and we knew we could do it. But every time we came and did something to you, instead of yelling and fighting back, you tried to give us a drink. You didn’t hate us for hating you. You kept showing love against our hate.” You didn’t stop working in the church garden, you just kept doing it every day. He stopped for a moment. “I couldn’t sleep after we stole your stuff, so here it is back.” He paused for another awkward moment, not knowing what more there was to say. “That bag’s my way of saying thanks for straightening me out, I guess.” And with that, he walked off down the street.
Carl looked down at the sack in his hands and gingerly opened it. He took out his retirement watch and put it back on his wrist. Opening his wallet, he checked for his wedding photo. He gazed for a moment at the young bride that still smiled back at him from all those years ago.
He died one cold day after Christmas that winter. Many people attended his funeral in spite of the weather. In particular the minister noticed a tall young man that he didn’t know sitting quietly in a distant corner of the church. The minister spoke of Carl’s garden as a lesson in life. In a voice made thick with unshed tears, he said, “Do your best and make your garden as beautiful as you can. We will never forget Carl and his garden.”
The following spring another flyer went up. It read: “Person needed to care for Carl’s garden.” The flyer went unnoticed by the busy parishioners until one day when a knock was heard at the minister’s office door. Opening the door, the minister saw a pair of scarred and tattooed hands holding the flyer. “I believe this is my job, if you’ll have me,” the young man said.
The minister recognized him as the same young man who had returned the stolen watch and wallet to Carl. He knew that Carl’s kindness had turned this man’s life around. As the minister handed him the keys to the garden shed, he said, “Yes, go take care of Carl’s garden and honour him.”
The man went to work and, over the next several years, he tended the flowers and vegetables just as Carl had done. In that time, he went to college, got married, and became a prominent member of the community. But he never forgot his promise to Carl’s memory and kept the garden as beautiful as he thought Carl would have kept it.
One day he approached the new minister and told him that he couldn’t care for the garden any longer. He explained with a shy and happy smile, “My wife just had a baby boy last night, and she’s bringing him home on Saturday.”
“Well, congratulations!” said the minister, as he was handed the garden shed keys. “That’s wonderful! What’s the baby’s name?”
“Carl,” he replied.
That’s the whole gospel message simply stated.
Friend, wherever you are today, God would be delighted to give you the staying power you need to do His will. You may feel completely winded but God delights to give a second wind to those who are weary.
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Let God speak His message to you today. Isaiah 40:28-31 from “The Message.” 28. Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening? God doesn’t come and go. God lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything, inside and out. |
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29. He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. |
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30. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. |
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31. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind. |