12 Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.
Hebrews 12:12-13 (NASB)
Shaky knees
Have you ever gone hiking up a steep mountainside where you need ropes at times? After a hike up for an hour or two, your thighs get exhausted. On the way back down, as you plant your foot and put all your weight on it, your leg shakes and is unsteady due to exhaustion. We need rest and nourishment. We can get his way spiritually. As we endeavor so hard to resist temptation, bear up under trials, walk the straight and narrow way and we get tired. When we continue in it, we can get exhausted – especially when we don’t get rest and nourishment.
Running the race – continued
This passage is probably a continuation of the idea in verse 1 which exhorts us to, “let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”. Similar to when our knees are exhausted and shaky, our spirits need rest to recuperate.
Like our muscles, our spirit also needs strengthening to endure the strain, to fight the fight and continue the marathon. How do we rest our spirit? Prayer and worship and literal quiet time (as in no noise and distractions) are essential. Reading and meditating on His word provide rest – but also build strength. Fasting accompanied by prayer is also key to help focus.
Strength from hope
One huge source of strength is encouragement – which gives hope. The writer exhorts us to look at those who’ve gone before us and, in v2, to look to the Lord, to fix our eyes on Him. Remember, this life is short. We are made for Heaven, our eternal home. “But confidence in God, and the hope of heaven, and the assurance that all this is for our good, will reinvigorate the enfeebled frame, and enable us to bear what we once supposed would crush us to the dust.” (Barnes’ commentary) Let Christ, let His promises and His faithfulness give you hope to strengthen your spirit.
Smooth your path
Straight here means level, smooth, to clear the way so that it can be walked on without stumbling. “Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established.” Proverbs 4:26) What are the obstacles on your path that keep you from living a life of faith and service to the Lord?
