KJV Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint”
NASB Isaiah 40:31 Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
Isaiah 40 is one of the most majestic chapters in our Bibles. For sheer grandeur and revelation of the glory of God’s character, it is difficult to find a section of Scripture to rival it. It combines the Creatorial power of God, His greatness in dealings among the nations, His Shepherd character, His Sovereign control, and His Saving Compassion.
Its introductory call, “Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people,” ushers in this final section of Isaiah’s prophecy with notes of grace and mercy. The storm clouds of judgment and frequent “woes” of the previous section (ch 1-35), have given way to the bright sunshine of better days that lie ahead for the nation and the reign of her Messiah.
The chapter ends with a promise that many in their Babylonian captivity must have taken to heart. Some felt that God’s eye had overlooked them, that they were forgotten (v 27). In their weakened and faint condition, what hope could there be? To this feeble remnant, a promise is given that has been an encouragement to the people of God down through the centuries.
However, this meditation will not focus on the promise and wealth this verse can bring us. Instead, I want you to think of how different it was for the One Who is the perfect example of a Man Who waited for God. “Waiting on the Lord” carries the thought of dependence, confidence, and faith. No one so exemplified this as did God’s Beloved Son. Think then of the “seeming contradiction” to this promise.
The promise of strength renewed was not known. On the cross, His experience is seen in Psalm 22. “My strength is dried up like a potsherd …” (v 15). “He was crucified through (or in) weakness (2 Cor 13:4), a weakness that He willingly allowed. There were no words of encouragement to strengthen Him, no angelic support to share the agony. Alone, His strength was “dried up.”
The prophet continues promising that the believer will mount up with wings like an eagle, soaring above the problems and circumstances surrounding him. But the Lord Jesus sank “in deep mire” (Ps 69:2). The sufferings at Calvary have been likened to a continual sinking beneath floods that engulfed and overwhelmed Him. No place of firm footing to uphold the sufferer could be found.
Freedom from weariness is part of the blessing vouchsafed to the individual who waits upon the Lord. But for Him, it was the opposite: “I am weary of My crying” (Ps 69:3). Finally, “They shall walk and not faint.” How different was the experience of the Lord pictured in His expression, “My heart is like wax, melted in the midst of My bowels” (Ps 22:14).
Read the “Celine Dion and God” story here.
Was His Father God unfaithful to Him? Were the promises of Isaiah 40:31 not true? A look back at how the chapter begins answers the question. For God to comfort us, to assure us that “her iniquity is pardoned,” the Lord Jesus had to know the abandonment of the cross. He must atone for iniquity if God is to be able to be all that He promises to be by the end of the chapter.
While the chapter reveals the Lord Jesus as our Saviour (vv 1, 2), Shepherd (v 11) and Sovereign (vv 21-25), He must also be our Substitute.
Consider
Look at verses 12-25 and contrast and compare them with the Lord Jesus at Sychar’s well (John 4). For starters, the One Who sits on the circle of the earth (v 22) sat on Sychar’s well.