Isaiah 40:28-31, “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. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 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.”
I love this passage of Scripture! God never gets tired. Nothing ever occurs to Him. God doesn't need a secretary, schedule book or alarm clock. Psalms 61:3, “For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.” Our dear Savior is not an absent parent. If you are a born-again child of God, you have the Lord's promise that He will never leave you nor forsake you. Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
The prophet Isaiah declared in Isaiah 40:31, “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.” This is a conditional promise. We must wait upon the Lord. The Hebrew word for “wait upon” is qavah, which means, “to expect.”
Pastor Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905) was a distinguished English Christian theologian, academic and churchman. In his Ellicott's Bible Commentary, he exegetes Isaiah 40:31 as follows:
(31) They that wait upon the Lord.—The waiting implies, of course, the expectant attitude of faith.
Shall mount up with wings.—Better, shall lift up their wings, or, shall put forth wings' feathers, the last, like Psalm 103:5, implying the belief that the eagle renewed its plumage in extreme old age. For the faithful there is no failure, and faith knows no weariness.
SOURCE: Bible Hub - Isaiah 40:31
Much of the Christian life involves patiently trusting God to keep His promises, to do what He said He'd do. Proverbs 3:5-7, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.”
We have all heard about the suffering of Job in the Old Testament. James 5:11, “Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” Please don't miss that phrase, “Behold, we count them happy which endure.” When we seem to have every reason to throw in the towel, give up and blame God for our troubles, burdens and losses; but instead we hang in there and trust God's great heart, wisdom and goodness, there is a special blessing to that believer.
Some of the happiest times in my life were when I was at the bottom, when I couldn't see my hand in front of my face, when all was wrong, and it seemed like God had totally abandoned me. I found happiness in having faith in God (Mark 11:22b). The three Hebrew youth Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Babylon, couldn't see the Son of God with them in the fiery furnace, but everyone else did. You likely won't see God in your trials and tribulations, but He is there nonetheless.
God was with Joseph in an Egyptian prison after his 10 half brothers betrayed him, when his feet hurt in iron fetters (shackles). Psalms 105:17-19, “He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.” The faith of Joseph was tested. Unshakeable faith comes from having your faith shaken. Faith is like film, it develops in the dark. The Lord promises in Isaiah 40:31 to strengthen us when we are weary, but only if we will trust and wait upon Him. No storm lasts forever! Without rainy and cloudy gloomy days, we couldn't truly enjoy the bright sunny days.
I learned a long time ago that it is impossible to live up on the mountaintop all the time. I need my unhappiness. You read right! I need my sadness, miseries and unhappiness, which helps me to enjoy God's blessings more and appreciate the better times when the storm passes. I stopped trying to be happy long ago. I just do day by day what I am supposed to do, and trust the Lord to guide, protect and provide for me. God promises to guide our paths in Proverbs 3:5-6, but only if we meet the condition to acknowledge the Lord in all our ways. That means to live by the inspired Holy Bible. What saith the Scripture? I am always looking for Scriptural principles to apply to my daily life, and so should you if you are wise.
