Isaiah 40:31

September 1, 2023

“But those who wait on 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.”

The prophet Isaiah was one of the most influential prophets in the entirety of the Word of God. He is considered a major prophet because of the length of the book that bears his name. The book of Isaiah is filled with prophecies of the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ to the people of Israel. It also provided the children of God with hope and words of comfort during difficult times.

This particular Bible verse is a message of courage, comfort, and strength that is provided to the children of Israel in their time of need. The chapter begins with the words, “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God,” Isaiah 40:1. The Lord is speaking these words of consolation through the prophet Isaiah. He then goes on to explain to them that their “warfare is ended” and “her iniquity pardoned,” Isaiah 40:2.

The word that the Lord wanted to deliver through Isaiah was that He is an everlasting God with the ability to provide new strength through the storms of life. It was not doubt that God’s people were becoming weary and weak because of the oppression that they continued to face. God is a God of justice and He was explaining to them that the battle is His as He is the One that is above all nations, Isaiah 40:17.

What the Lord wanted them to do was to wait on Him regardless of what things looked like around them. A lot of times what we tend to do during our trials and tribulations is lean on our own understanding and our own strength. We forget that the Teacher is silent during the test and He is waiting to see if you have learned and retained enough of His Word to make it to your next level.

We are a society that wants what we want and we want it now, but God is saying to rely on His strength and His might. Those that are patient through the process are the ones that will have their power and endurance renewed because they are waiting on God’s timing. There are a lot of battles that we will face that we cannot overcome within our own human abilities; it will take the Lord’s help for you to prevail.

Let’s take a closer look at the meaning of this verse of Scripture out of the Holy Bible. The words “shall renew” is the Hebrew word “ḥālap̄” which means: cause to pass and change. So in other words God is saying to Israel and to us that if we wait on Him He will cause your situation to pass by and cause things to change in your favor. What an amazing promise that we can stand on because of the goodness of the Lord. God is so good all the time!

Then God’s Word goes even more in depth when Isaiah begins to detail the result of those that wait on the Lord. He states the words “they shall mount up” which is the Hebrew word “ʿālâ” which means: to go up and come up in reference to animals. The Lord is referring to an eagle’s wings that mount up above danger to a place of safety.

Then the prophet uses the words “they shall run” which are the Hebrew word “rûṣ” which means: to run. Then he says that they will not “be weary” which are the Hebrew word “yāḡa” which means: to toil and labour. So what the Lord is revealing to us is even though we are running and maneuvering through the obstacles of life His strength will not allow us to grow weary. We are going to have to go through tribulation but it will not overtake us!

The final revelation that Isaiah gives through the leading of the Holy Spirit is “they shall walk” which are the Hebrew word “yālaḵ” which means: to go, walk, and come. Then immediately after he says the word and not “faint” the word faint is the Hebrew word “yāʿap̄” which means: to be or grow weary, be fatigued, and be faint.

So the final meaning of this verse of Scripture is letting us know that the people that wait on the Lord are the ones that will walk and go forth but not grow weary or fatigued. People get it twisted thinking that once you become a Christian it ends there and you can just relax and do nothing.

Not so! The moment that you became a Christian, is the very moment that you signed yourself into the army of Jesus Christ ready to go to battle for yourself, your family, and all of those around you. It isn’t called warfare for no reason. The good news is that we can be of good courage because the Lord’s promise is that in those moments of despair, weariness, weakness, and fatigue He will be your strength!

Also, don’t forget to check out my other blogs:

Isaiah 41:10

Isaiah 9:6

Isaiah 53:5

Who is the Prophet Isaiah

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Fight Back

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Feed Your Spirit

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Renouncing

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Confess and Repent

Recognizing Spiritual Strongholds

What are Spiritual Strongholds?

The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 1