Alesaggio
05-04-2005, 12:04 AM
Is. 40:29-31 is the setting for this study.
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
(Isaiah is a ‘miniature Bible.’ 66 chapters. 2 divisions - 39 old, 27 new. The first section deals with sin and judgment. The second portion presents forgiveness and restoration...)
Chapter 40 of Isaiah is the beginning of a new section in the book. It is the first chapter which looks beyond the captivity of Israel and on to the brightness of the future God has in store.
At times all of us have been weary. Our experiences can be exhausting. Over the duration of time we can become discouraged. Remember, this is one of the tricks of satan: if discouragement goes unchecked it can lead to defeat.
Like so many great Bible texts, this one addresses a problem by offering a promise.
* Wait
What does it mean to "wait"? The waiting spoken of here requires faith, trust, patience, hope. It bears the concepts of trust, hope and longing. It is to wait with expectant hope.
This hope is brought to those who wait in patience. This hope is represented by patient waiting. This is not a passive, do-nothing wait. To wait on the Lord is to fully believe in His promises of deliverance. Those who wait on the Lord trust in His power to perform all He has said. They long for, and look forward to, the hope the completion of His covenant. To wait on the Lord is to believe His Word; stand on His promises; desire His will; to hope in His faithfulness. To wait on the Lord means to trust Him. It is to actively engage your faith. It is to meet God mid-way expecting Him to renew your strength.
* Renew
What does it mean to "renew"? Isaiah says the strength, stamina and agility normally associated with youth proves insufficient. Even young men, athletes and soldiers, grow weary and become fatigued. There is a limit to all human endurance. Exhaustion causes them to stumble. In weariness they fall. The strongest can go so far and no further.
The result we are left with is that, "Even though this may happen (youths may weary and fall), it is different for those who wait on the LORD." The Lord is not promising an extension of our own natural strength. This strength is supernaturally supplied. "What may happen to strong young men does not happen to those who wait upon the Lord." Rather, they ... will renew their strength. Our power returns as with the re-growth of Samson’s hair.
*Rise
What does it mean to "mount up"? The Bible says, they shall mount up with wings as eagles. This is a simile. It is figurative language intended to paint a picture in our minds. More than our minds, it is designed to inspire our spirits. To soar on wings like eagles is to rise effortlessly. Eagles soar with the greatest of ease. Those who study them tell us they are masters of wind currents and up-drafts. Eagles do not rise to dizzying heights by constantly flapping their wings. It is not a feat of endurance. They perform this act by depending on a source other than themselves. They ride the wind. They catch the currents. They use thermals.
This renewal of strength will give us an energy that may seem as if it were boundless: they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Whereas earlier they were stumbling and falling, now they run and walk without tiring. Distance or duration is not a problem. This is the difference between relying on our own efforts and trusting in the Lord’s strength. The point of this chapter is to encourage us to trust in and count on the eternality of God, the power of the Creator, the strength of the Lord.
We are asked, Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? (Isa. 40:21, 28) These are rhetorical questions aimed at reminding us of the things we have always known about God. He is the all-powerful Creator; He raises and dethrones world rulers; He knows all about every one of us (He knows everything we face, and He cares); and the point of telling us all this? He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. (Is. 40:28-29)
The promise to mount up is an assurance of an ever-increasing strength, beyond ourselves which exceeds all reasonable expectations. We should be exhausted, but we are not.
The choice is ours; we can flap or soar.
If you are weary; if you have stumbled, or fallen; if your strength is gone....
Wait on the Lord. Trust Him. Reach out to Him. Believe.
He will renew your strength.
You will sail on currents of His sustaining power. You will be lifted by a power not your own. This renewed strength, His strength, will not fail you.
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“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
(Isaiah is a ‘miniature Bible.’ 66 chapters. 2 divisions - 39 old, 27 new. The first section deals with sin and judgment. The second portion presents forgiveness and restoration...)
Chapter 40 of Isaiah is the beginning of a new section in the book. It is the first chapter which looks beyond the captivity of Israel and on to the brightness of the future God has in store.
At times all of us have been weary. Our experiences can be exhausting. Over the duration of time we can become discouraged. Remember, this is one of the tricks of satan: if discouragement goes unchecked it can lead to defeat.
Like so many great Bible texts, this one addresses a problem by offering a promise.
* Wait
What does it mean to "wait"? The waiting spoken of here requires faith, trust, patience, hope. It bears the concepts of trust, hope and longing. It is to wait with expectant hope.
This hope is brought to those who wait in patience. This hope is represented by patient waiting. This is not a passive, do-nothing wait. To wait on the Lord is to fully believe in His promises of deliverance. Those who wait on the Lord trust in His power to perform all He has said. They long for, and look forward to, the hope the completion of His covenant. To wait on the Lord is to believe His Word; stand on His promises; desire His will; to hope in His faithfulness. To wait on the Lord means to trust Him. It is to actively engage your faith. It is to meet God mid-way expecting Him to renew your strength.
* Renew
What does it mean to "renew"? Isaiah says the strength, stamina and agility normally associated with youth proves insufficient. Even young men, athletes and soldiers, grow weary and become fatigued. There is a limit to all human endurance. Exhaustion causes them to stumble. In weariness they fall. The strongest can go so far and no further.
The result we are left with is that, "Even though this may happen (youths may weary and fall), it is different for those who wait on the LORD." The Lord is not promising an extension of our own natural strength. This strength is supernaturally supplied. "What may happen to strong young men does not happen to those who wait upon the Lord." Rather, they ... will renew their strength. Our power returns as with the re-growth of Samson’s hair.
*Rise
What does it mean to "mount up"? The Bible says, they shall mount up with wings as eagles. This is a simile. It is figurative language intended to paint a picture in our minds. More than our minds, it is designed to inspire our spirits. To soar on wings like eagles is to rise effortlessly. Eagles soar with the greatest of ease. Those who study them tell us they are masters of wind currents and up-drafts. Eagles do not rise to dizzying heights by constantly flapping their wings. It is not a feat of endurance. They perform this act by depending on a source other than themselves. They ride the wind. They catch the currents. They use thermals.
This renewal of strength will give us an energy that may seem as if it were boundless: they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Whereas earlier they were stumbling and falling, now they run and walk without tiring. Distance or duration is not a problem. This is the difference between relying on our own efforts and trusting in the Lord’s strength. The point of this chapter is to encourage us to trust in and count on the eternality of God, the power of the Creator, the strength of the Lord.
We are asked, Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? (Isa. 40:21, 28) These are rhetorical questions aimed at reminding us of the things we have always known about God. He is the all-powerful Creator; He raises and dethrones world rulers; He knows all about every one of us (He knows everything we face, and He cares); and the point of telling us all this? He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. (Is. 40:28-29)
The promise to mount up is an assurance of an ever-increasing strength, beyond ourselves which exceeds all reasonable expectations. We should be exhausted, but we are not.
The choice is ours; we can flap or soar.
If you are weary; if you have stumbled, or fallen; if your strength is gone....
Wait on the Lord. Trust Him. Reach out to Him. Believe.
He will renew your strength.
You will sail on currents of His sustaining power. You will be lifted by a power not your own. This renewed strength, His strength, will not fail you.
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