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25. "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
26. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and
calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
27. Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God"? 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. 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; 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.
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Isaiah 40:28-31 He gives power to the faint Nothing breaks the heart of a Father more than to hear the words of his child, "You don't really love me at all." That is what is intended by the children of Israel when they thought, "My way is hidden from the Lord." They meant, "You don't really care about me. You don't really love me at all." Have you ever been tempted to thing that? I have. It usually comes when we are worn out by trials and tribulations. It seems like we cry out to the Lord and He doesn't answer immeditatly. Our impression is that He really doesn't see, hear, feel, or care about our situation." Even great Elijah dropped down under a Juniper tree and prayed to die because no one seemed to care. The answer to that question, (that feeling, and that accusation) is given by our Heavenly Father here. He reminds of us of his creation power to put the starry host and call each of them by name. He created and sustains the universe by his great power. Jesus reminded us that even the sparrow does not fall to the ground except God sees and knows. HE CARES. We only feel that he does not care when we are overwhelmed. When we are too tired for our own good, or when we have neglected to come to Him for rest, or we have overworked ourselves, like Elijah, we feel like we are the only one who works so hard for the Lord. It is exhaustion speaking. You need rest. He gives power to the faint, and every one gets weary. He promises that even the young get tired and fall, BUT THEY THAT WAIT ON THE LORD will renew their strength and they will run and not be weary, they will soar like eagles. Note that God doesn't say that they who wait on the Lord will never get tired. He says when you are tired that is the best time to wait on the Lord to renew your strength. Elijah's story illustrates this principle. God had not abandoned him, and he was not the only one serving God faithfully. He just felt that way because he was weary. God restored him in the wilderness by feeding and refreshing him with sleep. Perhaps what you need from God more than anything else today is to get away into a quiet retreat and rest in the Lord. Don't say you can't. God says the issue is that you won't! (Isaiah 30:15) Jesus invited his weary disciples to "come apart and rest a while." Vance Havner once said it well when he said, "Come apart and rest a while or come apart." The choice of where we get rest and renewal is ours.
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