“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” - Isaiah 40:29-31

There are seasons when you give everything you have and still feel like it is not enough. You are running on empty, spiritually and emotionally depleted, and the demands of life do not slow down just because you are exhausted. If that is where you are today, this passage in Isaiah 40 was written for you. God is speaking directly to the faint, the weary, and the exhausted. He is not judging your weakness. He is meeting you in it.

The promise of Isaiah 40:31 is conditional on one thing: waiting on the Lord. Waiting is not passive. In the Hebrew, it carries the idea of expectant trust, like a soldier holding their position with full confidence that reinforcements are coming. When you wait on God in that posture of active trust, He renews. He restores. He lifts you up on wings you did not know you had. You are not done. You are just in the waiting room of God’s renewal.

If you are running on empty today, give yourself permission to rest. Spend time with God not in striving but in stillness. Tell Him honestly, “I am empty. Fill me.” Then wait with expectation for His renewal.

Lord, I am tired. I am not going to pretend I am not. But I am waiting on You, not in resignation but in faith. Renew my strength today. Lift me up. I believe You are the God who gives power to the faint, and I am asking You to do that for me right now. In Jesus’ name, Amen.