Based on a series of sermons preached in PCC Prayer Meetings in 2023-2024
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint
Isaiah 40:29-31
Isaiah 40 is one of the most comforting chapters in the whole Bible. Isaiah originally preached it during a time of much uncertainty and anxiety amongst God’s people. The northern Kingdom had recently been devastated by the Assyrians. Many were killed; those who were not were mostly rounded up and sent into exile.
The people in the south were not spared, for after his successful campaign in the north, Sennacherib headed south and laid siege on Jerusalem.
Were it not for the LORD’s miraculous intervention, Jerusalem would also have toppled. But this respite did not guarantee peace, for who knew whether the Assyrians would return. Indeed, the rumblings of an even more powerful enemy could already be heard. They even sent envoys to spy out Jerusalem. It would be another sixty years or so before the Babylonian war machinery arrived. But the people couldn’t know how much longer they would enjoy peace.
It is in this context that God gives Isaiah a prophecy of comfort to preach to His people. “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God,” He begins (Isa 40:1). Then He goes on to show how the LORD Himself would visit His people in the flesh to be their shepherd. He is sovereign and omnipotent, perfect in knowledge and understanding, infinitely great, incomparable and unportrayable. And He cares!
But now, as he wraps up his sermon of comfort, Isaiah pronounces some of the most assuring and comforting words to be found anywhere in the Scriptures. He says three things corresponding to the three verses of our text:
1. The LORD Strengthens those who are weak and weary (v. 29).
2. Even young people can grow weak and weary (v. 30).
3. Those who wait upon the lord will renew their strength (v. 31).
1. He Strengthens Those Who Are Weak and Weary
Verse 29: “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.”
It is said that God helps those who help themselves. You might have used this cliché to motivate someone unwilling to try to help himself out of a difficult situation. But that claim is not valid. What is true, instead, is that God helps those who cannot help themselves. More to the point, God helps those who cannot help themselves and know they are helpless and cry out to Him for help!
To these saints who feel weak or faint, He gives the power or ability they need. To those who feel feeble, He increases strength.
Those who trust in the Lord should never entertain the idea that the Lord does not know or care about their perilous situation. He is always ready to help His weak and feeble people.
Do you feel keenly your weakness and helplessness in your situation? Rest assured: “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” Remember the words of the Lord Jesus to the apostle Paul when he pleaded for the removal of his thorn in the flesh: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9).
God’s children should never feel ashamed to admit that they feel weak. For it is when we know we are weak that we will be privileged to experience God’s power.
Thus, Isaiah says in verse 30 that…
2. Even Young People Can Grow Weak and Weary
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall
v. 30
Even young, energetic and strong people need to be strengthened at one time or another. Do you think that you have no need at all, or that you are strong enough by yourself, or that God and religion are only crutches for weaklings? If so, you can be sure that you are either deluded, overconfident, stubborn or simply too inexperienced.
Even Samson, the man of great strength, felt weary at times. After he slew a thousand with a jawbone, did he not complain that he would die of thirst (Jdg 15:18)? Even the mightiest men, not to mention youths and young men, shall faint and be weary.
The young man who has just completed an ultramarathon may think he is at the top of the world. But let him receive a text from his girlfriend that she is leaving him for a gentler, kinder soul, and see him crumble into a heap of tears.
The young professional has been advancing steadily in his career. He has been making the right choices and has been promoted at every opportunity. Everything is going well for him. He feels invincible. But let him be struck down with an incurable disease, and suddenly, the world crumbles around him.
The man who hates Christ and religion and scoffs at God’s people may build a business empire and think himself to be unassailable. Like the foolish rich man, he feels that His strength and ability have brought him to where he is. But death strikes him, and suddenly, he finds himself having no answer but only cringing fear as he stands before the judgment seat of Christ.
The fact remains that everyone in this world, however young, wealthy, powerful, well-connected or confident, will grow weary and weak. And the sooner you recognise the fact, the more likely you will find the real help you need.
Remember, you will not find help from the Lord unless you acknowledge your own weakness and need. But if you do, then God gives a promise through Isaiah.
3. Those who Wait Upon the LORD Will Renew Their Strength
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint
v. 31
The LORD understands our limitations. So He promises to strengthen us when we wait upon Him.
He is not promising to give us enough physical strength to fly like eagles! No, no; He is not speaking about physical strength. He is not promising to give us enough strength to run a marathon, at least not literally.
Yes, God is concerned about our physical health and strength. He promises to heal us, but He never promises to heal us completely in this life.
He may miraculously heal someone if he chooses, but He does not promise to do so in this life. He promises to heal us and restore our physical strength completely only at the resurrection!
What, then, is Isaiah saying? No doubt, he is speaking about spiritual strength.
We can grow faint and weary in our souls. Just as we can grow tired physically, we can grow tired spiritually. Just as we can feel weak bodily, we can feel powerless spiritually. Just as our bodily appetite can wax and wane, our spiritual appetite can fluctuate. Just as we can be sick in our bodies, we can be sick in our souls.
Indeed, we arrive in this world spiritually dead. We were spiritually resurrected at our regeneration. But even then, it pleases God, that our restoration should not be complete as yet. So, even the most devout Christian may grow lukewarm. Even the strongest believer may doubt. Even the most sanctified saint may backslide.
We can even become faint and weary of doing good. That is why Paul exhorts us repeatedly not to be weary in well doing (Gal 6:9; 2 Th 3:13).
But it can happen. What shall we do when it happens? “Go to the LORD! Hope in Him! Wait upon Him!” Isaiah implores. He has promised to heal. He has promised to strengthen. You can soar like an eagle!
What a tremendous promise! I need no saunter like a turtle. I need not flap frantically like a sparrow. I can soar.
Ever seen an eagle taking off? It is a magnificent sight. Eagles are big birds. They do not fly like sparrows. To take off and gain height, eagles will spread their wings, flap several times, then circle until they catch an updraft of air. Once that happens, they begin to soar. Occasionally, they would flap their wings, but most times, they would glide along.
This is what Isaiah is promising us. We can soar like eagles! Not physically, of course, but spiritually!
Many times, because of my sin of forgetfulness, I do not soar. Instead, I hobble along like a chicken with an injured toe or paddle frantically like a duck as I try to look cool on the surface. But yes, beloved, we can soar. We can mount up on wings and soar like eagles.
But how? Isaiah answers: “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles” (v. 31).
What is it to wait upon the Lord? Well, it certainly does not mean waiting passively, on the one hand, or impatiently, on the other hand.
No, no; the very idea of waiting implies patience and not being tempted to do things our own way. We are to hope according to the hope given in the word of God. The Psalmist says, “I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope” (Ps 130:5). Waiting upon the Lord involves walking by faith.
Waiting upon the Lord, moreover, implies prayer. The Psalmist confesses: “I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry” (Ps 40:1). One who is not praying is not waiting.
To wait upon the Lord is, in other words, to believe the Lord Jesus Christ. It is to trust that He will do what is best for you according to His goodness and wisdom, for He is upholding the world by the word of His power. It is to look to Christ and to trust Him to do what is right rather than to be troubled by the wind and the waves around us. It is to say with Paul, “I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me” (Phil 4:13).
Those who wait upon the Lord will draw strength from Him. They will have strength sufficient to mount up with wings as eagles and soar to new heights of spiritual enjoyment through every storm.
“They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength,” says Isaiah. Let us humble ourselves, acknowledge our weakness and pray that we may be strengthened in the inner man to magnify Christ. Amen.
—JJ Lim