At the end of last year, YouVersion highlighted the top 10 Bible verses that were shared the most. I found the list interesting and thought that it could be helpful to understand them in their original context. Today we are looking at Isaiah 40:31—which according to YouVersion was the fifth-most shared verse in 2013.
The Verse:
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 40:31 ESV)
The Context:
The prophet Isaiah is writing to a despondent people. They have been in exile for some 70 years. Their relationship with the Lord is so jaded that they say things like, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God” (Isaiah 40:27). They feel abandoned by the Lord and they’ve given up hope that the God of justice will act.
Isaiah 40:31 is the conclusion to the Lord’s response to this bad theology. In verse 28 he reminds them that God is the everlasting God that does not grow faint and weary. Though 70 years is a lifetime to us—it is but a drop in the ocean to the everlasting God. The Lord is strong enough to rescue them—not only from the captives but also from their despondency.
Not only does the Lord have unsearchable understanding and everlasting energy he graciously gives His power to the weak and down-trodden. Those that run on their own strength—no matter how vigorous—will eventually tire (Isaiah 40:20). Those who wait upon the Lord and draw their strength from him will not grow tired.
All of Isaiah 40 is in the context of the call to Israel to “Behold your God!”. This entire section is a contrast between the eternal omnipotent God and the idols crafted by human hands—hands that are no bigger than that of a grasshopper (Isaiah 40:22)
The Meaning:
Have you seen the new oatmeal commercials? One particular commercial has a lady that goes through her day overwhelmingly exhausted. She’s busy but she can’t stop—and so she blunders through her day desperately in need of some energy.
Many can identify with this poor lady. We are busy and we are tired. We are overstretched and yet we are too driven to stop. And so we pound down energy drinks–or perhaps now oatmeal snacks. It is no surprise, then, that a verse that promises renewed energy would appeal to a tired people.
But is this what Isaiah has in mind? Is God our energy source like an oatmeal power bar?
Yes and no.
The key statement in this text is the phrase “renew their strength”. And it’s important to remember the situation of those that first heard this promise. They aren’t merely tired because they are overworked. They are despondent because their bones have been broken by the discipline of the Lord.
They’ve been brought to a point where they have no hope in themselves. They are not like the “youth” who run on their own strength and in their own confidence. They are broken and cannot lift their legs out of bed—if they will ever move again it will come from the work of the Lord. And as they are brought to this spot of dependency upon the Lord—they find that in Him their strength is fully renewed.
So, if you are reading Isaiah 40:31 as if trust in God is like a pick me up from an energy bar, then you are not quite reading it correctly. God isn’t a jolt of energy for the self-confident. God is the source of strength for a desperate people.
Conclusion:
As you read Isaiah 40:31 and share the verse remember that it says more about our weakness than it does about our soaring. Yes, those that wait upon the Lord will eventually soar and run and walk. But it will happen in the Lord’s timing and through His giving of strength.
Waiting upon the Lord is not a pill that you swallow for a quick fix. Waiting upon the Lord means that we believe that He alone has the keys of comfort and we’ll sit at His feet until we are given that which only He can give.
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