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Isaiah 40:29–31 "He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. 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."

Think

We're tired. Not just physically—soul tired. The kind of fatigue that coffee can't fix and sleep doesn't touch. And maybe that's you today. You've been showing up. You've been doing your best. But beneath the surface, you're worn down. Spiritually. Emotionally. Relationally. You might even feel guilty for being tired, as if needing rest is a weakness. As if strength is always about pushing through.

But what if weakness is actually the entry point to strength?

Isaiah doesn't sugarcoat the reality: Even youths will become weak and tired. Translation? Nobody's exempt. Not the energetic. Not the disciplined. Not even the deeply spiritual. At some point, we all run out. Because we weren't meant to be the source of our own strength—we were meant to draw it from someone else.

That's why the promise is so radical: He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. The ones who finally admit they can't muscle through. The ones who fall to their knees—not as a sign of failure, but as a step toward fullness.

In Hebrew, the word translated "wait" or "trust" in verse 31 (qavah) carries the image of something being bound together—like a cord pulled tight in tension, waiting to be released. It's not just about sitting still. It's about choosing to expect God to show up. It's about being intertwined with his strength rather than isolated in your own.

And then there's the eagle. To "soar on wings like eagles" isn't poetic fluff—it's physics. Eagles don't waste energy flapping. They rise by riding invisible thermals—currents of warm air that carry them higher with almost no effort. That's the invitation: don't manufacture lift. Let trust carry you.

But here's the catch: we only rise when we stop resisting the wind. When we surrender our grind and let grace take over, we experience renewal not by adding more effort—but by shifting our source.

We weren't built to run on self-sufficiency. We were made to depend. And in God's kingdom, dependence isn't weakness—it's wisdom. If you're tired, don't double down. Don't push harder. Lean deeper. Let your weariness become the very place where God meets you with strength you didn't know you could have. That's not failure—it's formation.

Apply

Name one area today where you feel exhausted—emotionally, spiritually, relationally. Instead of trying to push through, pause. Pray honestly. Ask God for strength in your weakness, not after it. Then, do one small thing as an act of trust—cancel a non-essential task, ask for help, or just sit quietly with Jesus.

Pray

God, I'm worn out. And I've been trying to push through on my own. But you're not asking me to be strong without you. You're inviting me to trust. So I'm coming to you with my weakness—not to hide it, but to hand it over. Give me your strength today. Help me to rest in your care and move forward in your power. In Jesus' name. Amen.