Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Have you ever found that, after a challenge that seems more like a series of battles than one event, there are moments when your energy is sapped, your motivation is missing, and your hope is hanging on by a thread? I sure have.

And this is precisely the type of moment that Isaiah 40 was written for. In the beginning of the chapter, Isaiah prophesies about the coming of the Messiah, Jesus, and his forerunner, John the Baptist. Then God reminds his people through Isaiah just how amazing and powerful he is, through a series of questions.

Finally, God addresses the complaints of his people who are suffering. They are like a sailboat sailing for a glorious shore, whose sails are limp and have no wind. And here, in a time of fleeting hope, low motivation, and spent energy, God does something pretty amazing — he breathes eternal wind into their sails. He promises them a great promise: he will be with them always.

The Creator of all things, the Alpha and Omega, the Almighty God is on their side. He gives strength to the weary and power to the weak. It’s like he is saying, “Look around to the strongest, young warrior who bounds up and down the hills. Even he grows tired. But not so those who hope in the Lord, because I will renew your strength. More so, your strength will be exponentially multiplied. You will mount up on wings as eagles. You will run and not grow weary. You will walk and not grow faint.”

God sees all. He knows all. He knows the situation I am in. He knows the challenges I face. And because I hope in him, he will deliver. He promises to in this passage. And I can take that to the Eternal Bank of Heaven.

Lord, thank you for the encouragement, the wind in my sails, for today and the next day. You are faithful and true and your promises are unbreakable and solid. I claim them! I stand and move based on your sustaining force at work in me!