Daily devotional · July 7
Strength for the Weary
“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; His understanding is beyond searching out. He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”
Isaiah writes to exiles who felt forgotten, and he begins with a question meant to wake them up: have you not known, have you not heard? The Creator of the ends of the earth does not grow tired or run out of understanding. Then comes a surprising promise: he gives strength precisely to those who are weary and have no energy left. Notice that it is not a reward for the strong. Even young people stumble, the prophet says, so exhaustion is not a personal failure. The strength comes to those who wait, which means to hope with expectancy, like someone leaning toward a window. Today, be honest with God about where you are running on empty. Take one thing off your list that does not truly need to happen, and use the freed time to rest or to pray slowly. Receive strength as a gift, not a performance.
Prayer
Lord, I am tired. Renew my strength as I wait on you, and teach me to receive rather than perform.