“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31
Isaiah 40:31 is a verse of scripture that many of us have memorized. It is a verse that we claim, cling to, quote out loud, and if we know the tune, sing it to ourselves. But do we really know what this verse means? Do we really know what it is talking about? We want to renew and gain new strength. We want to mount up with wings like eagles. We want to run through this life and not get weary. We want to walk through our problems and not become faint. But how many of us actually really know how to do these things? How many of us actually experience what this verse is talking about?
To me, I have to ask myself what’s wrong? Why am I not renewing and gaining new strength? Why am I not mounting up with wings like eagles? Why am I running through life and getting weary? Why am I becoming weak when I walk through experiences? Is this passage of scripture just a wishful thinking, or is it actually a promise from God? I question it.
How many times have you looked at your own life and wondered why you are not renewing or even gaining new strength?
If you’re like me, you have probably wondered about that quite a few times. You may not be mounting up with wings like eagles and rising above your problems. You may be running through life with its unique problems and getting extremely tired. You might find yourself walking through life’s experiences with a lot of weariness.
We need to re-evaluate Isaiah 40:31 which is a verse of scripture that is talking about strength and its attributes. It mentions renewing strength and gaining new strength. It mentions the strength of an eagle’s wings that lift it high above the earth. It mentions the strength necessary to run without becoming weary and the strength to walk without becoming faint. It’s all about strength. Specifically, it is about attributes of strength that we are in desperate need of in our lives.
In order for us to renew and gain new strength, to mount up with eagle’s wings, to run and not get weary, to walk and not become faint, something must first happen. We must do something in order for the type of strength mentioned in this verse to come to pass in our lives. So what is it that we need to do? What is the key that unlocks this type of strength? How do we obtain this strength that we need to live from day to day?
The key to unlocking this verse is the word WAIT.
Those who wait on the Lord get all the attributes of strength listed in this verse. So if we want strength in its various forms as listed in this verse, then we must first learn how to wait on the Lord. Think of it this way, if we don’t learn to wait on the Lord, we will never get the strength of the Lord. So what exactly does it mean to wait on the Lord?
The word “wait” to me is an example of a process when you bind together a cord. Wait? What? To bind together like a cord what does that mean? First, let me explain what “to bind together like a cord” process mean. It does not mean to tie a cord around a bundle of sticks to keep them together. Instead, picture in your mind the process of making a rope (cord) by twisting or weaving (binding) thin threads together to form the rope. The more strands that are twisted or woven together in a rope, the greater is its strength. Ah, there is that word strength again. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says
“… a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
A piece of string can’t lift very much weight because it doesn’t have many strands in it. A piece of rope, however, can lift hundreds of pounds because it is made up of many strands. When a rope lifts or pulls a load, it stretches a little while it is working. As it stretches, the individual strands are pulled closer together. While this “stress” is on the rope, the individual strands work together to lift or pull the load. No one individual strand does all the work. If it did, it would snap. A rope’s strength comes from all the strands working together.
The more strands in your rope, the greater its strength.
Just as a rope’s strength comes from being made of many strands, so our strength comes through being united with Christ. The “rope” of our lives gains strength by being twisted or woven or bound together with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. A rope is made up of many strands and so is our relationship with God. The more “strands” that we weave into our relationship with God, the more strength He gives to us. Let me share some examples of strands that make up this rope.
Strand 1) Keep your focus on God. Hebrews 12:3
Strand 2) Study the Bible daily. Psalm 119:11, 2 Timothy 2:15
Strand 3) Pray daily. 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Strand 4) Attend church regularly. Hebrews 10:25
Strand 5) Tell others about your faith in Jesus Christ. Mark 16:15
You can try and use these examples while you wait upon the LORD.
When you twist all of these strands together you get a rope whose strength comes from God.
This is how you renew and gain new strength. This is how you rise up with wings like eagles. This is how you run through life and not get weary. This is how you walk through problems and adversity without fainting. By weaving all the strands together, you “wait” upon the Lord.
May you gain new strength in and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
By guest writer Helen Mengistu
God Loves You, Always & Forever!
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