Renewed

May 11th, 2021
by Bill Williamson

…they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. (Isaiah 40.31 ESV, KJV, RSV)
…those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. (Isaiah 40.31 NIV)

Perhaps you have memorized Isaiah 40.30-31, but in which translation? Did you learn to HOPE in the Lord or WAIT for the Lord? What’s the difference? Is there a difference? At first glance, to “wait” seems rather passive. “Hope” can also seem passive, but it has a greater sense of anticipation to it. The New Living Translation uses the phrase “trust in the Lord”. That seems to be a bit more active than just waiting and hoping.

Whichever translation you use, or whichever word you learned, it is not passive, but a statement of action. We are actively waiting on the Lord. We are actively hoping and trusting in the Lord. It literally means, as Christians, we are to continue to, or keep on waiting and hoping and trusting in God, even in times when we may be weary or tired or distraught, for as the rest of the verse says:

“they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.”

We all have times when we seem to be flying above the clouds. We all have times when life makes us weary. We all have times when we can’t seem to put one foot in front of the other. No matter where you find yourself today, the words of Isaiah 40.31 are words of encouragement to keep on keeping on, knowing that God is with you as you walk through the desert or go through the valley, as much as He is with you when you are on the top of the mountain or soaring through the skies. He continues to give you what you need.

HE WILL RENEW YOUR STRENGTH

The amazing promise of God is that when we are exhausted, when we don’t know if we can continue, our strength will be renewed, day by day, step by day, moment by moment – we will “not be weary”, we will “not faint”. After you have given all you have, and don’t have the fortitude to keep going, God will hold you in His hands, carrying you as you strive to go the extra mile. As you fall asleep at night, weary from the day, trust in the Lord, wait for Him to give you exactly what you need, don’t lose hope.

HIS MERCIES ARE NEW EVERY MORNING.

A friend recently reminded me of Zephaniah 3.17:

The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

Posted in Drops of Grace

5 Comments

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Patricia - May 11th, 2021 at 3:08pm

I also think of await, and expect. Thank you for this today. Sometimes I have this really weird idea that what I await on Him for will just consume me rather than quietly be there if I look keep expecting and looking.

Sue Woodruff - May 12th, 2021 at 12:54pm

I love these verses. They have held me up and given me courage to go on in the past. I love the Zephaniah verse. It is so beautiful, like a mom singing a lullaby to her baby.

Liz Nisley - May 12th, 2021 at 2:34pm

Thanks for this message, it's worth reading and I really needled it. ❤🙏

Pat Henle - May 14th, 2021 at 1:15am

Just read the blog "Renew" and appreciated it very much.

Don Stuber - May 17th, 2021 at 12:46pm

Yesterday I looked at Luke 638 give and it will be given to you. Poured into your lap a good measure press down shaken together and running over for with the measure you use it will be measure to you. God loves to give in abundance. He doesn’t just give enough but he leaves puddles blessings all around us if we look for it. And today I read second Corinthians 98 and God is able to make all grace abound to you so that always having all sufficiency in all things you may have abundance for every good deed. When I’m dragging along I sometimes since the Lord says get up go out and do it again. Perhaps the waiting and hoping and Isaiah is about just finding a space in your day and listening tell his loving remarks to us