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. 

Isaiah 40:31 

We admire strength and desire it. We rejoice when we are strong, yet recognize that strength can come and go. We want more than just physical strength. We want to be strong mentally, spiritually and socially as well. Isaiah is sounding forth the promise that those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. When we have found that our former strength has waned because of the weariness that long-term waiting brings, where shall we look to renew it? The answer is Christ. When we want spiritual renewal we make use of the means of Grace, and the Holy Spirit uses those means to show us Christ. When we want mental renewal we look to Christ as the great pattern for wise thinking. When we want renewal of our social strength we find ourselves drawn to those who make much of Christ and exemplify Christ. When we want physical renewal we take Christ for our example Who both labored and rested at the appropriate times. There is no area of life where Christ does not belong or have some example to set. By these very practical means we look to Christ daily to renew our strength. Thus, we go forth looking to Him, following Him and imitating Him with renewed strength. 

Our Wise and Faithful God, 
we rejoice at Your wisdom in setting Christ before us. 
We praise You that when our strength is failing, 
You bring us again to Christ 
to renew it. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

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. 

Isaiah 40:31 

Of all the necessary activities of life, waiting is perhaps one of the hardest. Isaiah is sounding forth a glorious promise within a passage of glorious promises. He is particularly speaking to a discouraged people who have decided that God has passed them by and refused to regard their case. Isaiah counters with our text. For us to wait upon the Lord does not mean that we are idle. We carry out our regular responsibilities, and attend to the normal affairs of life. Beyond that, we make consistent use of the means of grace which hold the character of God and the promises of God before us. Having said that, we may still be waiting for God to move in some particular way, and grow weary in our waiting. We shall find that God is faithful. Consider how many generations waited for Christ to appear. In due course of time, He did appear, to accomplish all that God had promised. In the meantime, God gave strength to His waiting people. Christ, the Head, knows exactly what His Body needs by way of strengthening. He will not neglect His people. Today, you may be waiting, and have grown weary. Look to Christ to renew your strength. He has promised, ‘they shall not be ashamed who wait for me.’ Find in Christ your strength today. 

Our Great and Gracious God, 
we rejoice in Your never-failing faithfulness. 
We rejoice that even though we wait for You, 
You shall come, in due course of time, to  
fulfill all Your promises to us. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 

Isaiah 40:28

Does God understand me? This is a question which we might have, but for various reasons might never utter aloud. It is a dark-of-the-night question. We might ask it in the wake of personal crisis or catastrophe. It may arise out of failure or fear that we cannot go on. Israel felt abandoned and alone. God was responding to Israel’s statement that He had refused to look at their case and passed over their just claim. The second point, which God makes through the mouth of Isaiah is, ‘His understanding is unsearchable.’ Does God understand me? Yes, He does. His understanding is both transcendent and immanent. He understands in an infinite way and yet, also in a particular and most personal way. Christ is the evidence of this understanding. He ‘was tempted, in all points as we are.’ Christ is the living demonstration of God’s understanding of us. He is the utterly sympathetic, empathetic, Savior and friend. The God Whose understanding is limitless brings this vastness of understanding to us in the Person of Christ. 

Our Wise and Understanding God, 
we rejoice that You understand us in every detail. 
We praise You that Christ, our Mediator  
spans the distance between us and You. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. 

Isaiah 40:29 

Repetition aids learning. Because God is the consummate teacher, He repeats Himself so that we will grasp the concepts He want us to understand. Our text lies within the context of God teaching His people to rely upon Him to strengthen them. He says the same thing in different ways, thus repeating the concept. This is necessary for us who, like the disciples are ‘fools and slow of heart to believe.’ Our text reiterates, ‘to those who have no might, He increases strength.’ Where we need to begin is in our realistic understanding of the fact that we have no might. Christ made the plain statement of fact, which applies to us all, ‘without me you can do nothing.’ Just as selfishness is totally related to sin, so self-righteousness and self-reliance are diametrically opposed to dependence upon Christ. We only ever run the way of His commandments after He has enlarged our heart. We cannot be strong until we are ‘strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.’ This is why in all our teaching and preaching Christ must be pre-eminent. All that must follow by way of obedience proceeds from this foundation. 

Our Holy and Wise God, 
we rejoice that You never cease to teach us  
what we need to know to glorify You. 
We praise You that Your teaching leads us to Christ, 
and holds Him before our eyes. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning