HOPE TO THE WEARY

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary...” – Isaiah 40:31a

God’s Word guarantees HOPE to the WEARY: “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isa.40:31). The New International Version says, “Those who HOPE in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles...” (v.31a). HOPE WINS OVER WEARINESS. When we put our Hope and Trust in God, He gives us the power and strength to face whatever comes our way! The preceding verses assert that God never tires, never needs to rest, and knows everything. He is the unending Source of Strength to us who Hope in Him. This doesn’t mean we’ll never have challenges; rather, it means that trusting Him, God will give us what we need to work our way through every obstacle.

Isaiah 40 was written to God’s people in exile. It was meant to be read by them while they were far from home in Babylon. The intended audience were a people who had rebelled, had experienced the destruction of Jerusalem, and who felt demoralized, exhausted, hopeless, on the edge of despair. They would have felt like God had abandoned them, and that they had no future left. The chapter therefore began with these words: “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her, that her warfare is ended…” (Isa.40:1-2a). God’s people were tired and discouraged. They needed comfort and Hope, which were what God gave them. They needed what would keep them going when it would be easy to give up. They needed good reasons to hang there despite their tiredness.

Humanity is experiencing a staggering increase in anxiety, depression, addictions, and other psychological, social, and spiritual disorders, which were accentuated by the global pandemic. However, no matter how trying the times are, or close to the edge of despair we might be, we must not give up, because there is nobody who compares in majesty to our God. When we get the glimpse at who God is and what He’s able to do, we will be comforted and strengthened. Even in this broken world, we can lift our eyes, see God for Who He is, and wait on His promises. God is our only Hope. God is Who we need; and the worse the world gets, the more we need to hold on to Him in Hope!

Unveiled in verses 27-31 is a Hope that lifts the weary soul through three phases, to ultimately mount up and soar like eagles:

Despair: “Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God”? (v.27). Exiled in Babylon, the people wrestled with their honest feelings that God had somehow abandoned them. How could God allow them to be dragged so far from home? What happened to His promises? It’s easy to look around sometimes at our circumstances and conclude that God has turned His back on us. What with the all turmoil and bad news in the world; and the betrayals, bitterness, and disappointments in the Church! Yet, amidst the despair, God began to reassure His people. He called them Jacob and Israel, thus reminding them that they were not the first to wrestle with Him. Jacob did centuries earlier, and God blessed him. Likewise, God will not abandon His covenant people!

God’s Greatness: “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable” (v.28). They needed to be reminded that: God is eternal; He is the Creator that’s never short of power or out of control; and He is untiring, never grows weary, but is forever fresh, always alert, always able.

Renewal (vv.29-31). The discouraged and weary soul can move from despair to the revelation of God’s Greatness, and Renewal of Strength.