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 to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they 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.”
THEME OF THE DAY: STRENGTH FOR THE WEARY. Think of one-word descriptions of the Christian life. I will start our list . . . joyful, hard, peaceful, exciting, challenging, adventurous, worthy, loving, merciful, rewarding, and my last one ties us to today’s scripture – exhausting.
Yes, fatigue is a major factor in the Christian life, and it should be. We are engaged in intense spiritual warfare, and warfare is exhausting. We are called to sacrificial service which always carries an exhausting price tag. The Apostle Paul reminds us not to grow weary because we do – “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). Even our Lord Jesus knew the experience of weariness in His journey to minister to the woman at the well.
“So Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink”” (John 4:5-7).
Even though the Christian life is a call to labor, God does not leave us without the necessary strength to do His will. In today’s scripture, the prophet Isaiah provides some of the most encouraging truths for the weary believer. He writes two things about our God – God doesn’t grow weary and He provides the necessary strength for us who grow weary . . .
“He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they 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.”
The Apostle Paul also points to the strength of the Lord in the Christian life, and particularly in the call to battle – “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).
So, as we encounter the inevitable fatigue of following the Lord, don’t give up. Seek Him who promises strength for the weary, and He will provide, because unlike us, He never grows weary or lacks strength to give to us who do!
PRAYER: Father, I praise You that Your strength never runs dry, and you repeatedly strengthen me to do Your will.
REFLECTION: God promises us strength, His strength for doing His will. Believe in His strength.