Today’s Verse
“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.“
Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
What Does Waiting Actually Look Like?
“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.” I love this promise. Who doesn’t want renewed strength?
But there’s a condition: “those who hope in the Lord.” The King James Version says “those who wait upon the Lord.” And that’s where I get stuck. Because I genuinely don’t know what that means practically.
I’m a very practical person. A “let’s figure this out” kind of person. When there’s a problem, I make a plan. Sitting and waiting? Hoping without action? That feels unnatural. It feels like wasting time when I could be solving the problem.
So what does it actually look like to “wait on the Lord”? I know what it feels like to wait for a doctor’s appointment (distract myself while worrying) or wait for an email (constantly refreshing my phone). But waiting on the Lord for renewed strength? I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing.
I think waiting on the Lord isn’t passive. It’s active dependence. It’s acknowledging I can’t generate the strength I need and positioning myself to receive it from the only source that has it. It’s orienting my hope toward God instead of toward my own ability to power through.
Practically, that looks like stopping. When I’m depleted and my instinct is to push harder, I have to consciously stop. Then I turn to God: “I don’t have what I need. You do. I’m waiting on You.”
Sometimes it’s opening Scripture and reading promises about His strength. Sometimes it’s sitting in silence instead of frantically striving. Sometimes it’s honest worship: “I’m empty, and I need You.”
What it’s not: trying to muster strength in my own power one more time. What it is: admitting I can’t, and trusting that He will.
Today, if you’re exhausted, start here: Stop striving. Turn to Him. Ask for what you need. Then trust that renewed strength will come, maybe not instantly, but it will come.
Today’s Prayer
Lord, I will soar on wings like eagles, rising above circumstances that weigh me down, lifted by strength that comes from waiting on You, elevated beyond struggles that try to keep me grounded.
Soaring means rising above what would normally limit me, flying when I should be exhausted, gaining altitude when everything suggests I should stay down, moving with strength I don’t naturally possess.
Teach me that soaring on wings like eagles requires waiting on You, that renewed strength doesn’t come from trying harder but from hoping in You, from positioning myself to receive what only You can give.
Eagles soar by catching wind currents, letting the wind do the work, and I need to learn that lesson, to catch Your Spirit’s movement, to let You lift me instead of exhausting myself flapping frantically.
Help me wait on You when I’m weary, to stop striving in my own strength and instead position myself to receive renewed strength that lets me soar above what’s weighing me down.
Remind me that soaring gives perspective, that rising above my circumstances lets me see them differently, from higher vantage point, with clarity that’s impossible from ground level.
Give me strength to soar today, to rise above discouragement, to fly over obstacles, to gain height that only comes from hoping in You, waiting on You, receiving strength from You.
Let me soar on wings like eagles, lifted by Your strength, carried by Your Spirit, rising above struggles, flying with renewed energy that comes from waiting on the Lord.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Journaling prompts
Q. When have I experienced renewed strength after waiting on the Lord?
Q. Where in my life right now am I trying to generate strength in my own power instead of waiting on God?
Q. When I’m exhausted, where or what do I usually turn to first for strength?
Q. How could I replace that instinct with turning to God instead?
Q. What’s another area where I need to stop “doing” and start “waiting”?
Art print
If this devotional has spoken to you, the full 8 × 10″ art print is available to bring into your home. It’s printed on quality art paper, unframed and ready to place wherever you need a quiet reminder that God will give you strength. You can find it in my shop, with free shipping included.