Soar And Not Grow Weary

Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
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 40:28-31

Notes

²⁸ Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.

As a believer, the words Everlasting and Creator almost have become synonymous with God. We take for granted these attributes and ignore our true actions of pursuing other gods, ones we have created. Look up gods of different cultures. There are descriptions of them being temperamental, tired or unaware of the needs of the people on earth. People burn offerings, prostrate their bodies and cry out to the gods to take notice. The gods can then decide to be fickle or to answer.

We find here that Lord is the Everlasting God who is the Creator of the ends of the earth. Also that he does not grow tired or weary, He is not fickle like the gods of our creation. Whether our gods are money, power, fame or politicians, celebrities or influencers, we are going to be disappointed. The gods of our making grow tired or fall out of favor. Not only that, gods have a tendency to leave the hard labor to the mere mortals, being too glorified for difficult tasks.

The key point to this understanding is who have you made into a god? What god is calling on you to do the hard work while they bask in adoration?

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
Lord, give victory to the king!
Answer us when we call!

Psalm 20:7-9

The gods of our creation also seem to lack understanding and morality. Whether Greek, Roman, Hindu, Sumerian or American, every god has a failing and acts more or less human. God does not act human. God encompasses all the movement and activities of the earth—as the Creator, he is master of the sun, the ocean, crops, love, power everything else on earth.

²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

Contrary to popular belief, God is not looking to the powerful and mighty to lead. He is looking to the cast down and cast out, those who are poor, weak and even in despair. David is a perfect example of how God lifts up the lowly and humbles the mighty. When David was a shepherd boy, God chose him as an anointed king, elevated him and worked against his enemies. When David became king and had blood on his hands, God humbled him.

In our society, we still have the post-war, depression era mindset. We are fearful of depletion, of suffering without and desire excess in order to feel comfortable. We learn from the bible that we are supposed to be sacrificial not accumulators. Whether time, money or energy we are to pour it out. On who? We are called to be devoted to both believers and our neighbors—help the church and help outside of the church.

When we do expend ourselves and when we grow weary from pouring out everything we have, we know that God supplies the difference. Mark Charles in his book “Unsettling Truths” quotes Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Creation and Fall about the limitation of man. “Man’s limit is in the middle of his existence, not on the edge. The limit which we look for on the edge is the limit of his condition of his technology, of his possibilities. The limit in the middle is the limit of his reality, of his true existence.”

When we elevate ourselves to be side by side God we commit a grave sin. We elevate ourselves with money, power and influence even if it is just in our own homes or on our little streets where we live. Our limit is part of humanity and where we meet our limit we find God. He supplies strength when we have gone our distance and gives power to the weak and helpless when they despair.

Do you want to know where to find God?

Find your limit, reach for it and in that moment of utter collapse, if you truly call on Him, God will supply where nothing is left. In that moment of emptiness and feeling of powerlessness, God is there.

My soul is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.

Psalm 119:28

The weariness of being confronted by human limitation is not restricted to the older and wiser among us. Vs. 30 says Even youths grow tired and weary. In fact, youth is an incredible time to push the limits and find the point where one’s ability ends. This enlightenment is humbly, but imperative to gain the understanding needed to be more humble and compassionate in the future.

³¹ 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.