Isaiah 40:31

Commentary on Isaiah 40:31

Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

1. Immediate Context: Isaiah 40

Isaiah 40[i] marks a decisive shift in the book of Isaiah. After chapters filled with judgement, exile, and the consequences of covenant unfaithfulness, Isaiah 40 opens with a word of comfort grounded in the character of God.

Isaiah 40:1–2 “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned…”

The is a sustained proclamation of God’s greatness, faithfulness, and tenderness toward His people. It reassures weary exiles that their God has not abandoned them. The chapter culminates in the promise of verse 31, which is not an isolated inspirational saying but the theological climax of the entire chapter.

2. Exegetical Analysis of Isaiah 40:31

2.1 “They that wait upon the LORD”

The Hebrew verb qavah (“wait”) carries the sense of hopeful, patient, trusting expectation. It is not passive resignation. It is active reliance on God’s character, promises, and timing.

This waiting is grounded in the preceding verses:

Isaiah 40:28 “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.”

Waiting upon the Lord is the rational response to who God is: everlasting, unfainting, wise, and powerful.

2.2 “Shall renew their strength”

The verb “renew” literally means “exchange.” The weary do not merely receive a top‑up of their own strength; they exchange human frailty for divine enabling.

This follows directly from verse 29:

Isaiah 40:29 “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.”

The promise is not self‑generated resilience. It is God‑given strength for those who acknowledge their weakness.

2.3 “They shall mount up with wings as eagles”

The eagle imagery conveys effortless soaring, lifted by currents beyond its own power. In Scripture, the eagle often symbolises strength, freedom, and elevation above danger.

The point is not that believers become majestic in themselves, but that God lifts them above circumstances that would otherwise overwhelm them.

2.4 “They shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint”

The progression from flying to running to walking is deliberate. It reflects the varied demands of life:

• Seasons of exhilaration and spiritual vitality (“mount up”).
• Seasons of sustained effort and endurance (“run”).
• Seasons of ordinary, daily faithfulness (“walk”).

The promise is not that believers will always soar, but that in every season God supplies strength sufficient for the calling at hand.

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3. Theological Themes

3.1 God’s Incomparable Greatness

Isaiah 40 repeatedly contrasts God with idols, nations, and creation itself.

Isaiah 40:25 “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.”

The promise of verse 31 rests on the doctrine of God’s transcendence and sovereignty.

3.2 God’s Tender Care

Despite His greatness, God is gentle with His people.

Isaiah 40:11 “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arms…”

Strength is given by a Shepherd who knows the frailty of His sheep.

3.3 Human Weakness and Divine Provision

Isaiah 40 emphasises human frailty:

Isaiah 40:30 “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.”

Strength is not found in human capacity but in divine generosity.

3.4 Waiting as Faith

Waiting upon the Lord is an act of faith that acknowledges God’s timing, wisdom, and power. It is the opposite of self‑reliance.

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4. Meditation Guide

4.1 Preparing the Heart

Sit quietly and acknowledge your own weariness, limitations, and anxieties. Confess that you cannot sustain yourself by your own strength.

4.2 Read Isaiah 40 Slowly

Read the entire chapter aloud. Notice the rhythm of comfort, majesty, and reassurance. Let the descriptions of God reshape your understanding of your circumstances.

4.3 Reflect on the Nature of Waiting

Ask yourself:

• Am I waiting upon the Lord, or am I relying on my own strength?
• Where am I impatient with God’s timing?
• What promises of God am I struggling to trust?

4.4 Consider the Three Movements

Meditate on the imagery:

• Mounting up
  Where has God lifted you above difficulty in the past?
• Running
  Where do you need endurance today?
• Walking
  What ordinary faithfulness is God calling you to?

4.5 Pray for the Exchange of Strength

Pray something like:

“Lord, I am weary. I wait upon You. Exchange my weakness for Your strength. Lift me, sustain me, and steady me according to Your promise.”

4.6 Rest in God’s Character

Finish by meditating on Isaiah 40:28–29. Let the truth of God’s unfainting strength settle deeply into your heart.
28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

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5. Application to Modern Christian Living

5.1 For Seasons of Exhaustion

Many believers today live under relentless pressure. Isaiah 40:31 speaks directly to those who feel depleted. God does not demand strength; He supplies it.

5.2 For Seasons of Uncertainty

Waiting upon the Lord is countercultural in a world of instant gratification. Christians are called to trust God’s timing, even when His purposes are hidden.

5.3 For Seasons of Ordinary Faithfulness

Most of life is walking, not soaring. Isaiah 40:31 dignifies the slow, steady obedience of daily Christian living.

5.4 For Ministry and Service

Pastors, leaders, and servants often run until they collapse. Isaiah 40 reminds us that ministry is sustained not by human effort but by divine strength.

5.5 For Suffering and Trials

The promise does not remove hardship but assures believers that God will carry them through it.

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[i] Isaiah 40

King James Version

40 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.

3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

10 Behold, the LORD God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

13 Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?

14 With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?

15 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.

17 All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

19 The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.

20 He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.

21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.