KEEP YOUR HOPE IN THE LORD

PROCLAMATION

“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 40:31 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

Chapter forty of The Bible Book of Isaiah presents The Lord God as The Savior and focuses on His grace.  It begins offering a comfort to God’s people, given all that they had been through. (Isaiah 40:1-5)  God is described as a gentle shepherd who carries His lambs close to His heart. (Isaiah 40:11)  Then there is a lengthy discourse proving that The Lord God has no equal and that nothing or no one really compares to Him. (Isaiah 40:12-29)  Finally it states that even young men will get tired and weary, but they that have their hope in The Lord God will have their strength renewed.  They will be able to run and not get tired, and they will be able walk long distances and not faint.  They will also rise up and fly high, and like eagles they will soar effortlessly in the air.

APPLICATION

Bible scholars suggest that this verse refers to three levels of power, walking, running, and flying, or three stages of Christian growth, the young can run, the adults will fly, and the mature will walk non-stop in the ways of God without getting tired.  The Lord God gives strength to the weary and power to the weak. (Isaiah 40:29)  All of our human ability to function comes from God.  It is in Him that we live, move, and have our very being. (Acts 17:28)  As we age, our physical abilities change.  They increase while we are young, and then gradually decrease when we get old.  However, our spiritual abilities should continue to increase as we grow in knowledge and holiness, as we progress from babes in Christ to mature Christian adults, and as we progress from milk to meat. (1 Corinthians 3:2)  We need to thank The Lord God for all that He has done, is doing, and will do for us.  Let us remember to keep our hope and faith in The Lord. (1 Thessalonians 1:3)  Things may be dismal right now but continue to wait on The Lord. (Psalm 27:14)

WAIT ON THE LORD AND RENEW YOUR STRENGTH

Proclamation:

“Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The LORD is The Everlasting God, The Creator of the ends of the earth.  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.  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 40:28-31 (NIV)

Explanation:

These Holy Spirit inspired words of God were recorded by the Prophet Isaiah who recorded a number of prophecies which The Lord revealed to him.  Here he records The Word of God as He addresses His people who have questioned whether or not The Lord had forgotten them. (Isaiah 40:27)   Isaiah reports that The Lord God is never too tired or too weak to help them.  He is so powerful that He can share some of His power with the weak. (Isaiah 40:29)  Those who believe and have faith in Him will have their strength renewed and increased.  To those who wait patiently for His return, He will allow to fly like an eagle, to run and not get tired, and to walk for a long time and not pass out.  The Lord will give them physical strength and spiritual strength.

Application:

At times we question God for allowing us to remain in a bad situation after we call upon Him and ask for deliverance.  The Prophet Isaiah reminds us that God created the heaven and the earth, and that He is all powerful. (Isaiah 40:28)  We need God, He does not need us.  We get weary and are weak physically and spiritually.  We need His help and His strength.  We believe in Him but our faith is weak. (Matthew 6:30, 8:26, 14:31 and 16:8)  He lifts us up when we fall, and when the world knocks us down.  One day our souls will fly towards heaven.  When we receive our glorified bodies we will never get weary.  Those who wait patiently upon The Lord will inherit the earth. (Psalms 37:9)  They will also be blessed in this life and in the next. (Isaiah 30:18)  Belief, patient commitment, and perseverance in the faith will be rewarded. (Hebrews 11:6)

Encouragement and God's Strength

"May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word."  2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (NIV)

In his letter to them, the Apostle Paul prayed this brief prayer for the believers in Thessaloniki after he had encouraged them to stand firm in the faith. (2 Thessalonians 2:14-15)

This brief prayer is just as appropriate today as it was then.  We all need to be prayed for and we need to be encouraged.  The troubles, trials, and tribulations which come our way via the storms of life, can weaken us, make us weary, and even knock us down.  We need to hear a word which will encourage our hearts and strengthen us, so that we can continue run the race, and fight the good fight, as we struggle on the narrow path of our Christian journey doing good deeds and spreading The Word of God. 

They That Wait Upon The Lord

"Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The LORD is The Everlasting God, The Creator of the ends of the earth.  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.  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 40:28-31 (NIV)

The Prophet Isaiah recorded and number of prophecies which The Lord revealed to him.  Here he records The Word of God as He addresses His people who have question whether or not He had forgotten them. (Isaiah 40:27)   Isaiah reports that The Lord God is never too tired or too weak to help them.  He is so powerful that He can share some of His power with the weak. (Isaiah 40:29)  Those who believe and have faith in Him will have their strength renewed  and increased.  To those who wait patiently for His return, He will allow to fly like an eagle, to run and not get tired, and to walk for a long time and not pass out.  He will be their physical strength and their spiritual strength.

We question God for allowing us to remain in a bad situation after we call upon Him and ask for deliverance.  The Prophet Isaiah reminds us that God created the heaven and the earth, and that He is all powerful. (Isaiah 40:28)  We need God, He does not need us.  We get weary and are weak physically and spiritually.  We need His help and His strength.  We believe in Him but our faith is weak. (Matthew 6:30, 8:26, 14:31, and 16:8)  He lifts us up when we fall, and when the world knocks us down.  One day our souls will fly towards heaven.  When we receive our glorified bodies we will never get weary.  Those who wait patiently upon The Lord will inherit the earth. (Psalms 37:9)  They will also be blessed. (Isaiah 30:18)  Belief, patient commitment, and perseverance in the faith will be rewarded. (Hebrews 11:6)