Isaiah 40:31
but those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
Context and meaning
Isaiah 40 opens with "comfort my people" and closes with this promise. In between, the prophet presents a God who measures the oceans in the palm of his hand and calls the stars by name — and then asks the question that matters: if he is like that, why do you say your way is hidden from him?
The promise has a curious order, from the most impressive to the most ordinary: mounting up with wings like eagles, running without growing weary, walking without fainting. Real life happens in the third part. Flying is the exception; walking is the routine.
The condition is to "wait for the Lord" — a Hebrew verb that also means to twist together, like the strands of a rope. It is not passive waiting; it is dependence wrapped around something stronger.
The previous verse makes clear that even young men grow tired. In other words: fatigue is not a sign of spiritual failure, it is the normal condition of anyone trying in their own strength.
Related verses
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.
He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.
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