Introduction: The Exhausted Saint
Good evening, my beloved brothers and sisters.
As we come to the end of this Lord's Day and look ahead to the beginning of a new week, allow me to ask you a simple, honest question: Are you tired?
I'm not just asking about a lack of sleep. I'm asking about a weariness that goes deeper. The physical weariness from a long commute in heavy traffic and a demanding job. The emotional weariness from carrying the burdens of your family, from financial pressures, from the constant noise and stress of life in our city. And for some, a deep spiritual weariness—a tiredness of soul from fighting the same battles, praying the same prayers, and feeling like you are just barely holding on.
If you feel that way tonight, you are in good company. The people to whom Isaiah first wrote these words were a nation of exhausted saints. They were in exile in Babylon, feeling defeated, forgotten, and utterly powerless. They felt their way was hidden from the Lord. And it is into this atmosphere of weary despair that God speaks these words of magnificent, life-giving hope. This is God's divine secret for not just surviving, but soaring.
I. The Foundation for Our Strength: An Unwearied God (v. 28-29)
Before God tells us how to get strength, He reminds us of the One who is the source of all strength. He asks a series of questions designed to awaken our faith.
A.The Character of God:
"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard...?" Isaiah is saying, "Have you forgotten who your God is?" He reminds them of three unshakable truths:
1. He is the Everlasting God: He has no beginning and no end. Time does not diminish His power. He was strong yesterday, He is strong today, and He will be strong forever.
2. He is the Creator: The same power that flung the stars into space and holds the oceans in their place is the power that is available to you.
3. He fainteth not, neither is weary: This is the glorious contrast. We get tired. We burn out. We run out of energy. Our God never does. His resources are infinite. He never needs to rest. His strength is an endless, overflowing fountain.
B. The Generosity of God:
And the point of God having this infinite strength is not merely for Him to possess it, but for Him to give it. Verse 29 declares, "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength." Our God is a generous God. His strength is not a treasure He hoards for Himself. It is a gift He delights to pour into the empty hands of His tired children. He specializes in giving power to the powerless.
II. The Failure of Our Strength: A Weary People (v. 30)
Before we can receive God's strength, we must first be convinced of our own weakness.
Isaiah makes this point with a powerful illustration: "Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall."
In any society, the symbol of peak human strength and energy is a young person in their prime. But God says that even this, the very best that humanity has to offer, is not enough. The strongest young man will eventually tire. The most energetic youth will eventually stumble and fall.
This is a humbling but liberating truth. Your own strength, your own resilience, your own wit and willpower—it is a finite resource. It will run out. You will come to the end of yourself. And God says that is not a tragedy. It is a divine opportunity. For it is only when we cease to rely on our own failing strength that we are finally in a position to receive His unfailing strength.
III. The Secret to God's Strength: A Waiting Heart (v. 31)
Here, in this final, glorious verse, is the secret. How do we, the weary people, tap into the power of our unwearied God?
A. The Condition: "But they that wait upon the LORD..."
To "wait" upon the Lord is not to be passive, lazy, or inactive. The Hebrew word, qavah, is an active, hopeful, expectant trust. It means to look to God, and to God alone, as the source of our help. It is the conscious and continual act of surrendering our self-reliance and fixing our hope on Him.
B. The Exchange: "...shall renew their strength."
The most beautiful truth is hidden in this word "renew." In Hebrew, it literally means to exchange. This is the great transaction of faith! We come to God with our exhaustion, our fainting spirit, our "no might," and we lay it at His feet. And in return, He takes our weakness and gives us His strength. It is not our strength made a little stronger; it is an outright exchange of our finite power for His infinite power.
C. The Manifestation: What does this exchanged strength look like?
1. It is Soaring Power: "they shall mount up with wings as eagles." This is strength for the great crises of life. When you face an obstacle that seems impossible, God gives you the power to rise above it, to see it from His heavenly perspective, and to soar over the very thing that was meant to crush you.
2. It is Running Power: "they shall run, and not be weary." This is strength for the demanding seasons of life—the prolonged marathon of caring for a sick loved one, of starting a new business, of leading a ministry. He gives supernatural endurance to keep going without spiritual burnout.
3. It is Walking Power: "...and they shall walk, and not faint." Perhaps this is the greatest miracle of all. This is strength for the daily grind. It is the divine perseverance to face the monotony, the traffic, the daily chores, the long, slow, ordinary journey of faithfulness, one step at a time, without giving up.
Conclusion: The Invitation to Exchange
My dear, weary friend. The message of God to you this evening is simple. Your strength will fail. But your God will not. And the secret to accessing His limitless strength is to learn to wait on Him.
When you wait, you are invited to make the great exchange. You give Him your weariness; He gives you His energy. You give Him your weakness; He gives you His power.
What kind of strength do you need as you face this coming week? Do you need the eagle's wings to rise above a devastating crisis? Do you need the runner's endurance for a season that is demanding everything of you? Or do you, like so many of us, simply need the walker's perseverance to keep putting one foot in front of the other, day after day, and not faint?
I invite you now, in the quietness of your own heart, to wait upon the Lord. Confess your weariness. Admit the failure of your own strength. And ask Him to make that divine exchange. For He has promised that those who wait upon Him shall renew their strength.
