“Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall; 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” (Isaiah 40:30,31).
The promise to those who wait upon the Lord is that they shall “gain new strength.” Literally it means that those who wait upon the Lord shall “change” or “exchange” their strength. The idea is that as we draw near to God, waiting upon Him expectantly in faith, trusting in Him as our resource, that He will then impart to us His strength. The truth is that our strength runs out. What we need is new strength, and that’s exactly the promise that’s made to us. We will “gain new strength.” As we wait upon Him, we bind ourselves together with Him and receive His strength. So when it says that we shall renew our strength, it means that we will exchange our strength for His. What an exchange it is!
But look at the impact that exchange has on our lives. It says, “They will mount up with wings like eagles.” As we exchange our limited strength for His inexhaustible strength, we shall sprout spiritual wings and gain the ability to soar above our problems. How would you like to fly high over the circumstances that plague you?
But the promise is not finished. It says, “They will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” As we tap into the inexhaustible strength of our Lord Jesus, we receive grace to accommodate the pace set by the commander of the army. There are times when He calls upon us to run. And in those times, we will “run and not get tired.” But there are other times when we must simply march. In those times, we will “walk and not become weary”. What a promise! And the secret is in our waiting upon the Lord.
