“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.”
Almost everyone loves the eagle part of this verse. We put it on coffee mugs and graduation cards — soar on wings like eagles — because it sounds like victory. But read it slowly and you’ll notice the promise actually descends. First soaring, then running, then simply walking and not fainting. It ends not with a triumphant flight but with the quiet ability to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
That order is a mercy. Because most of our days don’t feel like soaring. They feel like walking — another shift, another load of laundry, another hard conversation, another week you have to show up for whether you have the energy or not. This verse promises God’s strength for exactly that: not just the mountaintop moments, but the long, flat stretch where you’re just trying not to give out.
And the engine of all of it is one unglamorous word: wait. Not striving harder. Not white-knuckling your way through. Waiting on the Lord — the slow, trusting kind of dependence that admits you’ve run out of your own supply.
What This Verse Means
Isaiah 40 is one of the great turning points in the Bible. The first thirty-nine chapters of Isaiah are heavy with warning and judgment; then chapter 40 opens with a sudden, tender shift: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” The prophet is speaking to a people who would face exile in Babylon — displaced, defeated, and convinced God had forgotten them. Verse 27 even quotes their complaint: “My way is hidden from the Lord.”
God’s answer isn’t a lecture. It’s a reminder of who He is — the Creator who never grows tired, who measures the oceans in the hollow of His hand. Then comes the promise of verse 31: the God who never faints will share His own inexhaustible strength with people who are fainting. The contrast is the whole point. Even strong young men stumble and fall (verse 30), but those who wait on the Lord are renewed.
It meant survival for exiles facing a long road home. For you, it likely means something quieter but no less real — the strength to stay faithful in a season that has gone on longer than you expected. The promise hasn’t aged a day. The same God is still offering the same exchange: your emptiness for His endurance.
The Verse in Other Translations
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.”
The NIV renders the key verb as hope, drawing out that this waiting is not passive boredom but expectant trust — leaning forward, watching for God to act.
KJV:
“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.”
The older “wait upon” carries the sense of attending on someone, the way a servant waits on a master — nearness and readiness, not just the passage of time.
NLT:
“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”
The NLT makes the heart of it plain — trust — and says we will find new strength, hinting that the strength is already there in God, waiting to be received rather than manufactured.
How to Live This Out Today
Name where you are on the scale. Are you soaring, running, or barely walking today? There’s no shame in any of them. The verse covers all three. Tell God honestly which one you’re in.
Trade striving for waiting, just for ten minutes. Before you reach for the next solution, sit still and ask God for His strength instead of generating more of your own. Waiting is an action — the action of depending.
Lower the bar to “walk and not faint.” On the heavy days, success isn’t soaring. It’s staying upright, staying faithful, not collapsing. Let that be enough today, and let it be God’s strength that keeps you there.
Keep the verse where weariness finds you. Tape it to the bathroom mirror or set it as your lock screen, so the promise meets you in the exact moment your strength runs thin.
Related Verses
Matthew 11:28–30 — Jesus’ invitation to the weary to come to Him for rest echoes Isaiah’s promise in the flesh.
2 Corinthians 12:9 — God’s power is made perfect in weakness, which is why the empty are the ones who get renewed.
Psalm 27:14 — “Wait for the Lord… be strong, and let your heart take courage” ties waiting directly to renewed strength.
Galatians 6:9 — “Let us not grow weary of doing good,” a New Testament companion for the long, flat walk.
A Prayer Based on Isaiah 40:31
Lord, I’ve run out of my own strength and I’m tired of pretending otherwise.
You never grow weary; I grow weary by breakfast.
Teach me what it means to wait on You instead of striving past You.
Renew me — not always for soaring, but for the simple grace of walking and not fainting.
Carry me through this long stretch, one faithful step at a time.
Amen.
Questions to Reflect On
Which are you most in need of today — strength to soar, to run, or simply to keep walking?
What would it look like to “wait on the Lord” this week instead of trying to manufacture your own strength?
Where have you already seen God renew you in a season you didn’t think you’d make it through?
Let this verse lead you into prayer — pray today’s prayer for the weight you’ve been carrying.