Ah, the end of Isaiah 40 is so very glorious. Most of us know the words, maybe even memorized them. We even sing songs to proclaim their wonderful truths.
“Youths may faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust 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 faint.” [Isaiah 40:30-31 HCSB]
The NKJV renders part of the verse in a more familiar way, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength….”
“Trust in” or “wait on” are not that different. To wait you usually have to trust and trusting often involves waiting.
The promise is that those who trust in the LORD as they wait upon Him, will find their strength renewed by the LORD Himself, so much so that they will soar and run and walk supernaturally.
To soar and run and walk supernaturally does not mean we become like the superheroes that seem so popular in our culture. It means that when the world tells us to quiet and sit down, the LORD empowers us to keep walking. When the enemy attempts to ground us and make us irrelevant, the LORD provides the strength to rise above his tactics and soar on the winds of the Spirit of God. When circumstances try to crush us, the LORD Himself provides the power to run and not grow weary with life.
The chapter that began with “Comfort, comfort My People!” ends with supernatural power and stamina provided by God Himself. Now that’s true comfort! Amen!
