Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 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. —Isaiah 40:30-31
Weariness is a feeling most of us are all too familiar with. Run ragged by our daily responsibilities, exhausted from the lingering effects of indwelling sin, and wearied by the ways of the world around us, we are painfully aware of our limited strength. Lest you think you’re alone in feeling that way, Isaiah reminds us in verse 30 that even the strongest among us eventually faints and falls exhausted.
The question is: what are we to do about our weariness? We clearly have no strength left to summon up and soldier on. Trying harder isn’t an option on an empty tank. So what are we to do?
Isaiah’s answer in verse 31 is startlingly refreshing: wait.
Wait for the unwearied One. Wait for the LORD, the everlasting Creator who “does not faint or grow weary” (verse 28). In this passage, this unwearied One promises that there are fresh reservoirs of strength that await your waiting! Strength to run with endurance the race set before you. Strength to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, and not faint. Strength to not grow weary in doing good. All of this strength just waiting for you to wait!
So what exactly should you wait for as you wait for the LORD? Here are some suggestions to help you as you’re waiting to not be weary:
“eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness” (Galatians 5:5)
“wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
“wait for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13)
“wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13)
and “wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life” (Jude 21)
As you wait for the LORD, the power of these promises reaches back from their future fulfillment into our present problems and renews our strength to stand. So if you’re weary and exhausted today, don’t try to keep limping along or think the answer to your exhaustion is simply another hour of sleep or cup of coffee. Instead, look to Isaiah’s remedy for your weariness: waiting. And as you wait to not be weary, remember, one day the wait will be over and we’ll have what we waited for:
It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isaiah 25:9
For Reflection
Where do you typically turn when you’re exhausted and weary?
What’s one particular thing you’re waiting for this week that can help fight your weariness?
If you’re looking for a good prayer to help you this week, try Isaiah 33:2: “O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.”