Drafted with AI assistance, then reviewed, edited and approved by Jeff Robb. Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
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Key passage: Isaiah 40:28-31 (KJV)
28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Reflection
Isaiah chapter forty begins with the words, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people. It was written for people who felt forgotten. They wondered whether God still saw them. In verse twenty-seven they are saying, My way is hid from the LORD.
Isaiah answers with a question. Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? Then he reminds them who God is. The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary.
Think about that. God never gets tired. He never runs low. He never has a long day and needs to sit down. And there is no searching of his understanding. He knows things about our situation that we never will.
Then Isaiah turns that truth toward us. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. God's strength isn't kept to Himself. He gives it away, and He gives it to the very people who have run out.
Isaiah is honest about our limits. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. The strongest, healthiest people still wear out. Strength that comes only from ourselves always runs out.
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength. To wait upon the Lord isn't just sitting around. It means looking to Him, trusting Him, and depending on Him instead of ourselves.
And look at the three pictures at the end. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run, and not be weary. They shall walk, and not faint.
Notice the order. Flying, then running, then walking. You might expect it the other way around, building up to the big finish. But most of life isn't soaring. Most of life is walking. Ordinary days. Steady faithfulness. One foot in front of the other. And God promises strength for that too. Sometimes the greatest grace is simply to walk and not faint.
It's Friday. Many of us reach the end of the week running on empty. The answer isn't to try harder on our own. It's to wait on the One who never grows weary, and let Him renew what we've used up.
Cross-references
Prayer
Everlasting God, You never faint and never grow weary. I confess that I do. Give power to me where I am faint, and strength where I have none. Teach me to wait upon You, so that I can walk through this day and not faint. In Jesus' name, amen.
For today: When you feel worn out today, stop and wait upon the Lord, and ask Him for strength to keep walking.