Weary but Thankful -- Isaiah 40:27-31

Introduction

People get tired. We get tired for all sorts of reasons. We work hard, we get tired. We play hard, we get tired. We come under a lot of stress, we get tired.

Sometimes, life hits us with things we don’t expect, and we get tired. We grow weary. We want to rest, but we don’t see a time for rest anytime in the near future. The unexpected comes at us in waves, and we can’t seem to get our heads up long enough to take a deep breath. We get weary; we get tired.

When we get tired, we need to rest. We need to have time to reflect, to relax, to remember. One of the most important things we need to remember is that God knows our needs even before we know our needs.

One of the most comforting passages of the Bible is Isaiah 40. It begins with the words, “Comfort, comfort My people.” In the following verses, God reminds us that He is the One who knows when we need to rest, and He knows how to comfort us. In this chapter, we are reminded that God’s word stands forever (v. 8). He reminds us He tends us like a shepherd tends his flock, gathering us to Him and gently leading us (v. 11). The chapter includes the reminder that God is the Great Creator and Sustainer of our world and our universe. He asks a question in a series of things: “Do you not know? Have you not heard?”

The chapter concludes with the words we just read. It begins with a question, and ends with a resounding promise to we who are weary.

Central Truth: Even in the midst of wearying times, God gives us reason for thanksgiving.

God is worthy of thanks because:

1. He is everlasting (27-28)

The passage we look at begins with a question to Israel about their perception that God has turned His back on them. I know what it’s like to feel alone in the world. Maybe some of you do, too. When we believe that God has not necessarily abandoned us, but has temporarily left us to our own devices. There will never come a time when God will not be. There will always be a time when we can call on God and He will hear and respond. More importantly, God is always there, always aware and always working in our lives to draw us closer to Him and get us past the weary days, the dark days.

God reminds His people that such is never the case. He asks them, “Do you not know? Have you not heard?” God is not a temporal God; He is not one that has to take breaks and gather his strength again. God assures us He will not grow tired or weary. When things seem darkest, when things seem to be going against us, God is right there, all-powerful and all-knowing. He is watching us and guiding us, protecting us and drawing us to Him as the Shepherd draws the flock to Him.

There have been times in my children’s lives that I have watched them hurt and suffer. At those times, my love seems to overflow for them. I want to let them know how much they are loved, but words are inadequate. All I can do is hold them, support them, give them the space they need, but always being there for them.

As inadequate as I am as a parent, God is not inadequate. His love and His understanding are beyond comprehension. He knows us so well and knows our situation so intimately that He is able to lift us up. He reassures us of His great love and His great compassion.

Even in our darkest days, on the days we feel that we can’t go on and we feel alone, God is there. In all His wisdom, all His power, all His love—God is here.

1. He gives us strength and power (29)

In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he tells them of a time when he was blessed with a great vision. To keep him humble, God allowed Paul to have a “thorn in the flesh,” something that nagged at Paul. Paul prayed constantly for God to rid him of his trouble. Paul says three times he pleaded with God, and all three times, God’s words were, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

I find that most of the time when I become spiritually weary, it is because I have been trying to do things on my own. Rather than seek His guidance through prayer and Bible study, I plow on relying on my own understanding and strength. And it’s then that I realize how quickly my strength ebbs and I hit a figurative wall.

It is when I spend time with Him, seeking His will and relying on His direction that I am able to get through the day much easier. My worries become trivial, my questions find answers and I am able to do the things God has set me to do. Not because I am able to do these things, but because I am letting God do them through me. Paul’s words ring out: “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

God tells us in v. 29 that He gives strength to the weary, power to the weak. God meets our needs. There are times we may feel we have reached the end of our rope, that we can’t go on. But God is there. He is giving us His grace, His power, His strength. It is at those times we can and must lean on Him more than ever. God will see us through if we will only trust Him.

1. He gives us reason for hope (30-31)

In these verses, God reminds us that it’s natural to grow weary, to stumble and fall. Even those who seem to have boundless energy face times of stress, and they grow weary.

But the promise comes in v. 31 with one understanding: We must hope in the Lord. Some translations say we must wait on the Lord. Both work here. We who wait on the Lord are hoping in Him; we who hope are patiently waiting His action.

And when we do, we have renewed strength. We get a second wind and the ability to carry on. We will be able to soar, to run, to walk. We will go on making progress. Sometimes our progress will be stunning in how far we are able to go. Sometimes, our progress will be smaller, struggling by inches and yards.

In World War II, the allied powers finally invaded the German-held Fortress Europa. Our troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, and immediately some of the troops came under heavy fire. The American forces particularly seemed to be hammered hard. Every inch of the beach seemed to be under German fire, and the advance was very slow. General Dwight Eisenhower at one point considered pulling the army off the beach to try again at a later date. But the men began to make their way to the defenses and began taking out the German guns. Slowly, we established a beachhead.

The fight off the beach was hard, having to go through the hedgerows that provided natural fortifications for the German defenders. But we slowly cleared the hedgerows. When we finally reached open country, our tanks and our troops began to make rapid advances, pushing the German armies reeling back toward Paris and to Germany.

I think of this when I read that we will soar, we will run, we will walk. There will be times when we will make rapid progress, and there will be times when it seems like we are standing still. Yet, as God sustains us and guides us, we will always go forward. We will conquer and we will gain the victory.

For this reason, even when we are our weariest, we can and must always give thanks to God.

Conclusion

We are in a time of the year when stresses ratchet up. We feel the pressures of making plans for family and friends, and we stress about having room for everyone and food for everyone. We want the meal to be perfect, the mood to be pleasant. We begin to think about all that needs to be done and the always too short a time we have to get everything done. In our stress, we grow weary.

But this is the time of year when we need to make the time and the effort to spend quiet moments with the Father, to take those walks in the garden with Christ. We need to be renewed by the Spirit. Even in times of wearying stress and turmoil, we can and must always remain thankful.