Weary From Waiting

Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. – Isaiah 40:31 (NASB)

This verse from Isaiah is such a reassuring verse. It has given me hope in some very difficult times. I love the image of being lifted up and soaring over my troubles; the feeling of new strength and not getting worn out from difficulties. Yet there is one word in this verse that is easy to miss, a word that is key to this passage.

“Yet those who wait for the LORD.” Did you catch the word “wait?” That makes this verse an either or proposal. Either we wait on the Lord, or we rely on our own understanding and go on without him. If we try to do it without waiting on God, without relying on Him, we will achieve the very things this verse says we won’t get. We will grow tired and weary, and lose our strength when we go at it alone.

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable (Isaiah 40:28).” God is the source of strength to endure hardship, but it requires us to wait on Him. Many times he is teaching us in hardship to trust Him. It requires us to wait on Him to learn the lesson He is teaching us.

The weariness we experience from waiting on God teaches us that there are limits to our own strength and wisdom. It teaches us to rely on God for wisdom and strength. It reminds us that we can soar like an eagle over our struggles when we fly with God.