Chapter 40 of Isaiah begins with familiar words of our coming Messiah which are included in Handel’s Messiah, ”Comfort my people.” Verse 8 reminds us that “God’s Word will stand forever,” while verse 11 shows the tender shepherd-like care God has for each of us. The middle section from verses 12 -27 recount the greatness of our glorious God and Creator and how far He is beyond our limited comprehension. But I want to focus on the last few verses beginning with verse 28 through 31.

I love how verse 28 reminds us of the Everlasting God who is our Creator with boundless energy—He never faints or grows weary. Just knowing this about our God and knowing of His ability to empower us increases our faith and makes the following verses so much sweeter.

Because of who God is, His character, He can give power to the faint and increase strength in those with no might. Think about how circumstances and challenges in your life that have rendered you feeling faint or so weak. We have a strong, compassionate Shepherd who can give us the increased strength we need. As He reminded us in verse 8, “His word stands forever” including His promised resources of strength in Isaiah 49:29–31.

But how do we access this renewed strength? Verse 31 says we wait on the Lord to renew our strength. We are relying upon Him in expectant hope and faith for the strength to bear our burdens and for deliverance in due time. With our God, we can wait expectantly to soar with the eagles and run the race set before He has set before us.