Dwell – Day 3
Isaiah 40:31, NIV
“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”
H-O-P-E, just 4 letters, yet so much meaning.
When you hear the word hope, what comes to mind? Maybe, phrases like: I hope so, don’t lose hope, here’s hoping, keep hope alive, or I hope it goes well. In today’s culture, hope can feel more like wishful thinking- a fragile expectation with no guarantee.
The world that we’re living in can weigh heavily on us. Fear, anxiety, and mental illness are at an all- time high.We’re facing life’s storms all around us: pandemics, political divisions, social unrest, broken marriages, chronic illnesses–the list goes on. And if hope feels like just wishful thinking, it’s easy to feel it slipping away.
Biblical hope, though, is something deeper; it’s a confident expectation grounded in God’s promises, not the uncertainty of outcomes. Isaiah 40:31 gives us encouragement as we’re living with the weight of the world around us– and sometimes even on our shoulders. Isaiah tells us to put our hope in the Lord.
Instead of looking around at the problems in the world, or at the circumstances we’re facing, if we shift our focus to God and truly look to him and seek him, we will find the Creator of the Universe– a God with boundless power, a Heavenly Father who loves us like no other, and a God who is always true to his promises. The LORD is greater than any circumstance, problem, worry, or doubt we will ever face. Putting our hope in the Lord is an act of surrender. We take the focus off of our situation and put it on Him.
The next part of the verse tells us that our strength will be renewed, that we will run and not grow weary. I know there’s so much going on in the world, and even in our own lives that can make us worry.
Maybe you’re in a season of waiting–for answers, for change. You are tired and weary; maybe you even feel like you don’t have any strength left.
Isaiah 40:28-30
“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.”
The Lord doesn’t grow tired or weary, and he promises to give strength to the weary. He is telling us: when we’re losing hope, when we’re growing weary and tired, reach out to him– He will lift us up and be our source of strength.
These verses show how deeply God knows us, sees us, and loves us. He knew before we were even born that there WOULD be times when we’d grow weak and weary. He gave us these verses to cling to in the storms of life, when we feel out of control, and are waiting for answers.
The Lord is saying to us: My child, FOCUS: Look at me. I AM your hope. When you are weak, I am strong. I will renew your strength. Whatever is going on in your life, whatever you are waiting for, whatever you are facing, my sister, please don’t stop hoping in the Lord; he is your strength.
Say out loud until you believe it:
Because of Jesus I have Hope!
Here is my prayer for you: