Wait on the Lord | Isaiah 40:25-31 | May 10, 2026

May 10, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Stars Named By God

The Holy One stretched out His hand and scattered stars across the black velvet sky. He called each burning sphere by name – Betelgeuse, Rigel, Polaris – as easily as a mother names her children. Isaiah watched the night sky as God declared His power: not one star slips from His grasp. [52:35]

When Israel forgot God’s care, He pointed them to the constellations. The same stars that guided Abraham now remind us: the Creator who sustains galaxies sustains you. His power isn’t abstract – it holds your breath, your heartbeat, your tomorrow.

You’ve memorized your grocery list but not the stars. Tonight, step outside. Let the pinpricks of light pierce your self-sufficiency. Where do you need to trust the Namer of Stars today?

“Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”
(Isaiah 40:26, NIV)

Prayer: Thank God for holding your life as securely as He holds the stars.
Challenge: Step outside tonight. Name three stars aloud, then pray about three hidden fears.

Day 2: The God Who Never Naps

Israel complained of God’s silence, imagining He’d abandoned them like a weary parent. But the Everlasting One doesn’t yawn over your crisis or hit snooze on your prayers. Isaiah’s words cut through their fatigue: “He will not grow tired.” No dark circles under heaven’s eyes. [01:00:50]

Mothers know exhaustion. Jesus knew sleepless nights. But the Father never pauses His watch. Your 3 AM feedings, your midnight anxieties – He’s fully present. His endurance isn’t metaphor; it’s the engine sustaining the universe.

You’ve powered through on triple-shot lattes. What if you stopped performing and started resting in His tireless strength? Where are you striving like He’s asleep at the wheel?

“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.”
(Isaiah 40:28, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one area where you’ve acted like God needs your help staying awake.
Challenge: Write “He does not sleep” on your coffee mug or phone lock screen.

Day 3: Ironman Faith

Natalie’s wrinkled hands gripped the handlebars at mile 100. Eighty years old, muscles screaming, she pedaled toward the marathon finish. Isaiah’s audience knew that kind of soul-exhaustion – and God’s shocking promise: “He gives strength to the weary.” [01:06:08]

Jesus didn’t say “Come to me if you’re energetic.” He invites the spent. The Ironman grandmother didn’t start with 146 miles; she began with one lap pool session at 59. Divine strength meets us where we limp.

Your endurance isn’t in your training plan but His nail-scarred hands. What burden have you been carrying like it’s your personal triathlon?

“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.”
(Isaiah 40:29-30, NIV)

Prayer: Ask for strength to take just the next step, not the whole race.
Challenge: Text a weary friend: “Can I pray for your next 5 minutes?” Then do it.

Day 4: Wings Over Worry

Eagles don’t flap – they lock wings and let thermals lift them. Isaiah’s soaring metaphor isn’t about effort but surrender. The same updrafts that carry birds are the “wind beneath your wings” – the Spirit who raised Christ from death. [01:12:50]

Your anxiety flaps frantic wings. God says “Stop striving.” His currents lift higher than your crisis view. The disciples remembered this when storms hit – they’d seen Jesus walk on chaos, unshaken.

What problem looks smaller from 10,000 feet? Name one worry to release into His atmospheric grace.

“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 40:31, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to show you one situation where He wants you to stop flapping.
Challenge: Write a worry on paper. Crumple it, then open your hands palms-up for 60 seconds.

Day 5: The Walk That Doesn’t Quit

Most don’t collapse mid-marathon – they give up walking to the mailbox. Isaiah ends with the pedestrian promise: “walk and not faint.” God cares about daily faithfulness – packed lunches, commutes, laundry folded in love. [01:21:02]

Jesus walked. To synagogues, weddings, funerals. His calloused feet model endurance in the ordinary. The Creator who “walks among the lampstands” (Revelation 2:1) joins your grocery runs and daycare drop-offs.

Where does your daily trudge need His companionship? Will you let holy ground crack open in your kitchen?

“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 40:31, NIV)

Prayer: Thank God for walking with you through today’s most mundane task.
Challenge: Walk around your block once today, praying for each house you pass.

Sermon Summary

We celebrate Mother's Day by marveling at stories of strength and endurance like Natalie Grebaugh completing the Ironman at eighty, and we honor the everyday courage that mothers carry in sleepless nights, meals prepared, and emotional burdens borne with love. We acknowledge that this day also exposes grief, broken relationships, and unfulfilled dreams, and we name that weariness honestly instead of sugarcoating it. We trace that tension into Isaiah 40 where God confronts false comparisons and declares his unmatched holiness, calling us to lift our eyes to the heavens and see his majesty in the stars. We refuse idols and faulty comparisons that distort our theology, and we let the cosmic picture correct our small, worn ideas about power and worth. We hear God assert that he is everlasting and never grows tired, and we admit that our strength runs out while God’s does not. We recognize that divine endurance does not erase struggle instantly but offers a real exchange: when we place our hope and trust in God’s certain future, he renews our strength so we can soar like eagles, run without collapse, and walk without fainting. We receive that promise not as sentimental comfort but as a practical resource for daily life—strength for parenting, work, school, and grief alike. We connect that promise with Jesus invitation to come when weary, take his yoke, and find rest, and we name Scripture, prayer, and faithful community as the ordinary means by which hope becomes endurance. We decide to memorize Isaiah 40 31 so the promise moves from text into habit, and we commit to simple practices: daily reading, honest prayer, and shared life with others. We conclude by offering a moment of silent confession and intercession, responding to the call to place our uncertain future in a certain God, and we extend an open invitation for anyone ready to trust Christ to do so now.

Key Takeaways

1. God has no equal We must stop measuring the divine by created things and confront the way comparisons shrink our faith. When we lift our eyes to the heavens, the ordered stars and their named existence reframe God as utterly majestic and wholly other. That reorientation demands repentance from idolatry and cultivates worship rooted in reality rather than convenience. [52:12]
2. God never grows weary We often exhaust every human resource before remembering God’s constancy, and that pattern deepens our fatigue. The text calls us to hold fast to an everlasting God whose understanding and strength do not fail, so we can stop pretending finite strategies will carry us. Practicing dependence on God reshapes our expectations and steadies us amid relentless demands. [60:14]
3. Exchange exhaustion for endurance We tend to treat spiritual life as self-fueled hustle instead of a posture of hope, and that error burns us out. The promise offers a concrete exchange: our drained effort for God’s renewing strength, manifested as renewed power, soaring perspective, and sustained running. Choosing that exchange invites practical surrender and transforms long-term resilience. [65:46]
4. Hope shapes our future trust We confuse waiting with passivity and miss how Hebrew hope ties present trust to a promised future. Placing our confidence in God reorders fear about uncertainty into steady expectation rooted in divine faithfulness. That disciplined hope trains us to act with courage and to endure when outcomes remain unclear. [67:24]
5. Walk faithfully day by day We romanticize dramatic spiritual peaks and underrate steady, ordinary faithfulness that composes most of life. The passage values the everyday walking work—feeding children, doing honest labor, small acts of care—as the terrain where God sustains us. Embracing faithful walking keeps our eyes fixed on Jesus and preserves endurance for the long haul. [80:36]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[44:12] - Natalie Grebaugh Ironman story
[46:22] - Motherhood strength and sorrow
[48:01] - Isaiah series context
[51:01] - Who compares to God
[52:12] - God’s holiness and the stars
[60:14] - God is everlasting and tireless
[65:46] - Promise of renewed strength
[78:46] - Practical steps for hope
[81:58] - Prayer silence and invitation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Isaiah 40:25-31 (NIV)
25 “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
27 Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, 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.

Observation Questions

In Isaiah 40:26, God points to the stars as evidence of His power. What specific details does He use to emphasize His care and authority over creation?
The sermon mentioned that weariness often leads us to "create our own narrative" instead of trusting God’s plan [59:26]. How does Isaiah 40:27-28 address this tendency?
What contrast does Isaiah 40:30-31 make between human limitations and God’s provision?

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think God uses the imagery of soaring like eagles, running without weariness, and walking without fainting to describe the strength He offers (v. 31)? How do these metaphors relate to different seasons of life?
The sermon emphasized that "hope" in Isaiah 40:31 is tied to "placing our uncertain future in a certain God" [01:07:57]. How does this redefine what it means to "wait on the Lord"?
How might comparing God to idols or human standards (as Israel did) distort our ability to trust His strength in times of exhaustion?

Application Questions

The sermon warned against measuring God by "created things" like success, relationships, or comfort [54:33]. What false comparisons have you been tempted to make recently, and how could focusing on God’s holiness shift your perspective?
Isaiah 40:31 promises renewed strength for those who hope in God. What practical step could you take this week to actively "exchange exhaustion for endurance" (e.g., prayer, Scripture, community) [01:19:15]?
The sermon highlighted that "most of the Christian life is spent walking" in daily faithfulness [01:20:36]. Where do you need God’s strength to sustain you in the "ordinary" tasks of life (parenting, work, grief, etc.)?
How could memorizing Isaiah 40:31 help you combat weariness in moments when you feel overwhelmed or spiritually drained?
The sermon connected weariness to relying on "finite strategies" instead of God’s constancy [01:00:14]. What habit or mindset do you need to surrender to experience His rest more fully?

Sermon Clips

41s

#SoarLikeEagles

“``Because even kids grow weary. But God says, if you trust in me, I'll take your exhaustion, and I'll give you endurance. Listen to how God says it. Starting in verse 30 starting in verse 29. 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 Oh, this is a good but in scripture. 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.”

36s

#GodNeverTires

“God reaffirms that he doesn't grow tired because he's God and we're not. All we have to do is go back to verses 12 through 24, and we see God's holiness, we see his greatness, we see the things that only he can do, we see his supremacy, we see them listed out, and then we know that we are weak and fallible. And God says, let me offer you strength. He says, I will offer you the strength that you're looking for today. He says, I know you're weary, but will you come to me?”

35s

#GodGivesEndurance

“If you're feeling weak, you don't have to do life without God. God will give you strength that only comes from him. God spoke these words to Israel, and and I need you to know that at Israel in that time period, they had been surrounded by other armies. In this time period, Israel had other people attack them and try to break down their city wall. Israel knew that captivity was coming their way. They had been hard pressed. And God said, hey, if you give me your exhaustion, I'll give you my endurance.”

36s

#FaithInTheEveryday

“But here's what I wanna remind you. We read this passage of soaring on wings like eagles, and what I have found is most of our Christian life is spent walking. Most of our Christian life is spent walking into the next bedroom to care for a child. Walking into the kitchen to make another meal. Walking into work to help others and to serve others. Walking into a coffee shop for a little joy at about 02:00 in the afternoon. Right? Walking into the gym for for a little little energy, a little strength training. Whatever it may be, most of the Christian life is spent walking.”

35s

#GodsMajesty

“We see the holiness of God, and there's this final blow where God says, who compares to my greatness? He says, who compares to my majesty? And the answer is no one. We can't compare anyone to him. For God to push that a little further, he wants Israel to think. He says, no one compares to who I am. You don't understand my holiness. He said, just go ahead and look at the stars. He said, why don't you just slow down and look at stars that are in the sky because they will reveal my majesty?”

29s

#ComeToJesus

“We feel like everything is coming down on us. And God says this, he says, will you exchange your exhaustion for my endurance? He says, will you come to me? You and I can come to God, and we can find this hope. I wanna put a finger here in Isaiah 40 real quick. And God's people, they they wouldn't have known this. But you and I know this, and this comes from Matthew chapter 11 verse 28. And Jesus says, if you're weary, come to me. Listen to the words of Christ to you and I today.”

34s

#BringYourWeariness

“Some of you today, you walked through those doors weary. You walked through those doors tired. I don't know exactly what's on in your life, but you do. And you know what's making you weary. You understand the pain point. You might have a hard time articulating it, but you walk in these doors weary. Some of you, you even thought, I'm not even gonna go there today because I'm so tired. I don't want someone to ask me how am I doing because I'm gonna have to lie again.”

26s

#RunWithEndurance

“When a runner runs a race, they focus on the finish line. That's their destination. And when a Christian lives the Christian life, they focus on Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of their faith. That's our finish line, Jesus Christ. That's where we keep our eyes. And Jesus says, I will give you endurance for the journey. Running the Christian life on your own will be the most exhausting thing you ever tried to do. And so that's why you and I need to lean on God's word.”

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Wait on the Lord | Isaiah 40:25-31 | May 10, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Stars Named By God

Day 2: The God Who Never Naps

Day 3: Ironman Faith

Day 4: Wings Over Worry

Day 5: The Walk That Doesn’t Quit

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Wait on the Lord | Isaiah 40:25-31 | May 10, 2026

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