Isaiah 40: 28-31
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. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for 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.
“Have you not known? Have you not heard?” Isaiah’s voice echoes across time, cutting through the fog of exhaustion and despair. The people of Israel—exiled in Babylon for nearly 70 years—are weary. They are on the brink of freedom, but freedom doesn’t mean ease. A 900-mile journey home awaits them. Their beloved Jerusalem is in ruins. Rebuilding their lives will require more strength than they have left.
Isaiah, exasperated yet unwavering, keeps pressing the point: God is not tired. God does not grow weary. God does not faint. And neither will you, if you place your trust in God.
It’s easy to see why Isaiah might have felt like a tortured poet, pouring out words of reassurance to people who struggled to believe. And it’s just as easy to understand why they felt so tired. We, too, know exhaustion—not just physical, but the kind that seeps into our bones and our spirit.
Some of us are weary from striving—endless to-do lists, long workdays, financial worries. Some of us are weary from waiting—wondering when healing will come, when relationships will mend, when peace will replace anxiety. Young adults wrestle with questions about the future, often feeling like they should have it all figured out by now. Parents carry the weight of their children’s struggles. Those in retirement wonder what the next years will hold. We watch the news and wonder if hope is foolish. Many quietly ask: Will I have the strength to endure?
Isaiah answers that question with a bold, unwavering promise:
“Those who wait for 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.”
God is not finished—not with Israel, not with us, and not with you. God’s energy never runs out, and God’s compassion never fades. Unlike us, God does not burn out, break down, or grow impatient. And the same power that spoke the world into being, that sustained Israel through exile, is at work in your life.
So take heart. You are not alone. You do not walk this path in your own strength. Rest in the promise that when your strength fails, God’s does not. And if you’re feeling too exhausted to even believe that today, that’s okay. God is holding you anyway.
Prayer
Everlasting God,
When we are weary, be our strength.
When we are uncertain, be our guide.
When we are burdened, lift us up.
Renew our hearts, steady our steps,
and remind us that you never grow tired of carrying us.
We trust in Your unfailing love.
Amen.
PS – As I was writing this devotion, I thought of the song, “You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban. Take the time to listen to this song. Besides being inspiring, the lyrics blend beautifully with Isaiah 40:28-31.
-Becky Rhodes
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