“Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees” (Isaiah 35.3.)
Introduction. In all flocks there must be weak and wounded sheep. If we ourselves have a lion-like spirit, let us never be as the king of beasts toward them. Do not say, as some do, “Ah, if such a person is foolish enough to be so sensitive, let him be.” O speak not so, but deal tenderly with the timid ones. This text especially commands the minister to deal tenderly. Many afflictions and tendencies of body and mind are not removed at conversion. And so among God’s best servants are those who always look to the dark side of every providence. I shall now speak to these persons.
(1) Hands and Knees are Very Important in getting to Heaven. The root of fear lies in the heart. But the effects of fear are most easily seen in the hands and knees. Hands hang down; knees tremble. So by fear the hands of action grow weak, and the knees of prayer tremble. The Christian life is a life of work and service. But how to pull enemy walls down with trembling hands? How to carry a burden with a weak knee? There is much loss without strength. We would plead the promise, but the hand refuses to clutch it with an iron grasp. Bunyan reminds us that there are hills on our pilgrimage to heaven so steep that they must be climbed on our hands and knees.
(2) The Ill Effect of Weak Hands and Knees. The ill effect is a stunted progress in the divine life. Some of you must acknowledge that you do not know much more about Christ than you did six years ago. Maybe you even know less. You have neglected prayer; not believed in promises; not trusted God enough. We are dwarfs, content with the small height we have reached. There is no reason for not standing as tall as Luther, or Calvin, or Henry Martin. Up! Christian, up! Another ill effect is that less good is done by us for the good of the world. The plow of divine grace must go through all the continents! Weak hands and feeble knees can’t handle this plow! If we had the strong knees of the apostles, and the mighty hands of the ancient martyrs, nothing could stand against us. Woe unto Rome and its castles once the children of God become strong! Let the fire of prayer begin in the pew, and will not the pulpit catch the flame? The whole church is weak at this time. A third ill effect is that Christ is dishonored. When the believer bows in prayer with a feeble knee, asking but believing weakly, he dishonors his Lord.
(3) Certain Causes of Weak Hands and Feeble Knees. One cause is being new-born. But God would not overdrive his lambs. Only seek to grow in grace by sucking on the milk of the word. A more frequent cause is starvation. There are some ministries by which you get no understanding of the doctrines of God at all, all year through! For example, some ministers believe in final perseverance, but persevere in keeping quiet about it. And all the while they yell, “Do this, do that!” And so church creatures are expected to live on a whip instead of corn. Feed God’s children with the old-fashioned doctrines that Owen, Charnock, and Goodwin preached, and then they’ll go to work. Only never forget, Christ’s soldiers always win their battles on their knees. The praying legion is the thundering legion. Prayer can move the arm that moves the world. We must not be lazy about it. Our prayers become stronger through use.
Selection from Conclusion. “What a lazy corporation the church of Christ is!…Do not think it is enough to get good; do good…visit the sick, help the poor, teach the ignorant, succor the distressed; and in all these ways you will find that God will bless you, and your hands shall become strong, and your knees shall not totter.”
