For Those Who Hope


Isaiah 40:28-31
28Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
29He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;
31but they who hope in 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.

The book of Isaiah is an interesting compilation of the entire Bible. It is 66 chapters long, just as the Bible is 66 books long. The first 39 chapters of Isaiah are fashioned after the Old Testament, filled with dire warning against idolatry and apostacy. The second part of Isaiah, the last 27 books, are filled with Good News and hope. God has not lost control of His creation and those who love Him are found under His protection.

That brings us to the first chapter of the Hope-filled portion of Isaiah, chapter 40. This chapter begins with the words “Comfort, comfort, my people.” And that is what chapter 40 brings – comfort and hope. The verses for today’s consideration are the end of chapter 40 and ends with they who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength. These are words filled with encouragement for those who believe. We are instructed by these verses about the character of God, who is and will forever be strong enough to take care of us and faithful enough to never fail in that work. As discussed earlier, hope is the confident expectation that God will do as He promised and so we are able to live our lives without fear.

This passage also speaks to our stance as formidable people, because our strength comes from a God who never grows weary and whose knowledge is beyond limits. Every human – every human – will eventually come to the end of their own resources. There is no one you can count on 100% of the time. But God is not like that for His strength is without limits and so too is His love. The best part of all of this is that God is there for us and thus we are a people whose hope is based in reality. Yes, we may ourselves grow weary, but God will not. We run into His Strong Tower, Under His Wings, Into His Shelter – pick your metaphor – for they are all true.

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