Isaiah 40:29-31

" He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;  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."  Isaiah 40:29-31.

Life is sometimes tiring, to say the least. You can easily become exhausted, giving in to what seems inevitable or giving up on what appears unchangeable. It has been said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” (General George S. Patton). When you are exhausted, you want to quit. Everything feels more difficult. Responsibilities weigh heavier than they are; tasks seem more complicated; schedules are more burdensome; problems seem bigger, less manageable. You just “don’t feel like it,” whatever it is.  I battle this attitude in many areas of life.  Relationships are difficult, work can seem overwhelming, and sometimes I just want to throw in the towel. 

In these times of desperation, God has faithfully brought Isaiah 40:28-31 to mind.  This passage is written to people who are broken and weary and ready to give up. They are captives in Babylon and all that they have known and all that they have loved seemed long gone. They have cried out to God and find themselves sitting there, waiting for God to do something. They know that only God can change their circumstances because they have tried everything they know how to do and have failed again and again. They find themselves waiting of God, crying out to God, and on the verge of losing faith that God hears them or that God will respond. 

Isaiah has a word for them - and a word for you and me in our time of distress.  It is quite different than the captives expected.  Rather than an escape plan or a lament, Isaiah's thundering words challenge his listeners:  Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. Isaiah wants them to remember – wants them to think through every conversation, every message, every time when they had been told about the nature of God. Their walk with God was not to be defined by the moment they were in. The moment they were in was to be defined by their long walk with God.  

These are words that they – and we – need to hear. When we find ourselves sitting there, broken, wounded, and weary- we are in exactly the kind of place where God moves in brings restoration. God knew that they were in exile – struggling – hoping – on the edge of giving up. God knows when we are at the end of our rope. God knows when we have nowhere else to go. God knows and God stands ready to respond. 

Isaiah then paints for the captives a beautiful picture of what awaits them.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;  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.  Isaiah shares to these captives - and to us - that when our strength is weary, when we are weak and want to give up, we are to turn to the One who never grows tired or weary.    Isaiah reminds us that we have the power of the Almighty God near us, and when we hope in Him, we will soar on wings like eagles.  
From my heart,
Acacia

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“Writing on our hearts” is more than just a blog, we are an online community of Christians who share how God’s word has changed our hearts and our lives, especially through meditation, study, and memorization.  Please write us! We’d love to hear how this verse has ministered to you and what God has spoken to you through its truth!