“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.”
– Isaiah 40:28–31
For those who follow the Pray the Word podcast every single day, we just finished up a journey through the gospels and tomorrow, Lord willing, we’re going to start a journey in Ezekiel 1 that will lead us all the way through the end of the Old Testament by the time we get to Christmas. So basically just leading up to the Old Testament to the coming of Christ.
When we remind ourselves of the character of God, we are led towards trust-filled rest and hope-filled confidence.
But today is just kind of a one day in the middle and I want to read a passage of scripture that the Lord has been encouraging my heart with, specifically over the last couple of weeks, Isaiah 40:28–31. I want to pray specifically, according to Ezekiel 1:31. Before I read it, I just have, in my mind, reading this passage, people who are listening right now who feel tired in many different ways, amidst this pandemic and life and work and family and church challenges, whatever it may be. Just people who feel exhausted.
Here’s the word of God, Isaiah 40:28. What a picture, especially there at the end of this passage. So from the very beginning, you see a picture of God, the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the Earth who never grows weary. He’s never tired. He’s never exhausted. He is omnipotent, all powerful. Then at the end, as we’re talking about how even the youngest and the healthiest faint and are weary and fall exhausted, but then the picture at the end is people who mount up with wings like eagles, soaring like an eagle. Just get that picture in your mind.
We Should Be Patient With The Lord
Some of you think that’s not the way I feel right now. However, I don’t feel like I’m soaring like an eagle or running and not being weary. What does that mean? Who runs and doesn’t get weary? Who walks and keeps walking and keeps walking? How do you do that and not eventually faint, fall over? How do you soar like an eagle? Run and not be weary? Walk and not faint?
Isaiah 40:31, listen to this word. They who wait for the Lord shall do all these things. Shall have renewed strength to soar and run and walk. They who wait for the Lord. What an interesting verse. The key to soaring and running and walking is waiting. One commentator said this word basically means to rest trustfully in the Lord. I’ve just been soaking in those couple of words in a variety of ways in my own mind and heart over the last couple of weeks. I want to encourage you with them and I want to pray for you.
Isaiah 40:28–31 Praises God For The Tired And Weak
According to this word, God, we praise you. We praise you together as the everlasting God. You are the creator of the ends of the Earth. As we look around us in the world, we see your handiwork and we praise you for your power and your strength. You never grow faint or weary. In fact, Your understanding is unsearchable, and the beauty of what we’re reading here, we just receive the fact that you don’t keep this power and strength to yourself. You give power to the faint, to the weak you increase strength.
So God, we pray for that. I pray over all who are tired and weak and weary and exhausted in many different ways, for many different reasons. Some just at the end of themselves, God, I just pray this passage over them right now that they would see you on high, just have a grand, glorious view of who you are and they would see that you desire to give them power, that you desire to give them strength, that they can rest trustfully in you.
Isaiah 40:28–31 Prays That We Rest Trustfully In God
So God, I pray that over every single person who’s listening to this right now, I pray that you would help them today and tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next day. Every day, daily to rest trustfully in you. To rest and your strength, to trust in your power and to trust that you are working all things together for the good of those who love you and have been called according to your purpose.
So God, I pray that as those who are listening right now, and even in my own life, as we rest trustfully in you, as we wait for you, we pray that you would renew our strength and we pray that you help us to soar like eagles, and run and not be weary, and walk and not faint. We pray this according to your word, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Radical, an organization that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighborhood and all nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, and Don’t Hold Back.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
