Search Illustrations
Isaiah 40:31 · WEB
31but those who wait for Yahweh shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.
267 results found
The Spirituals' Waiting Songs - Black Church (Isaiah 40:31)
Enslaved African Americans sang "My Lord, What a Morning" and "Soon and Very Soon"—songs of waiting. They waited for freedom that didn't come in their lifetimes. But the waiting wasn't resignation; it
Susanna Wesley's Waiting - Wesleyan (Isaiah 40:31)
Susanna Wesley had 19 children; nine died in infancy. Her husband was often absent, sometimes imprisoned for debt. Her home burned down twice. Through it all, she spent two hours daily in prayer and p
The Hesychast's Waiting - Orthodox (Isaiah 40:31)
Orthodox monks practice hesychasm—stillness, silence, waiting before God. They repeat the Jesus Prayer for hours: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me." This isn't productivity; it's prese
Charles Spurgeon's Depression - Baptist (Isaiah 40:31)
Charles Spurgeon, one of history's greatest preachers, battled severe depression his entire ministry. He sometimes couldn't preach for weeks. Yet he returned—again and again. "I have learned to kiss t
The Long Wait for Justice - Progressive (Isaiah 40:31)
The Civil Rights Movement required decades of waiting—not passive waiting, but active, hopeful, persistent waiting. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of "the fierce urgency of now," but also of trusting Go
Mother Teresa's Dark Night - Catholic (Isaiah 40:31)
After Mother Teresa's death, her letters revealed something shocking: for nearly 50 years, she experienced spiritual darkness—feeling abandoned by God, unable to sense His presence. Yet she kept servi
The Upper Room's Ten Days - Pentecostal (Isaiah 40:31)
After Jesus ascended, He told the disciples to WAIT in Jerusalem for the Spirit. They waited 10 days—praying, worshipping, expecting. Then Pentecost exploded. The waiting wasn't passive; it was pregna
George Herbert's Waiting in the Country Parish - Anglican (Isaiah 40:31)
George Herbert gave up a promising career at Cambridge to become a country parson in tiny Bemerton. Some saw it as a waste of his talents. For three years until his death at 39, he served an obscure f
The Amish Practice of Gelassenheit - Anabaptist (Isaiah 40:31)
The Amish practice "Gelassenheit"—a German word meaning surrender, yieldedness, letting go. It's waiting on God by releasing control. When technology offers faster solutions, they wait. When culture p
Jesus in Gethsemane - Christocentric (Isaiah 40:31)
In Gethsemane, Jesus waited on the Father. "Not my will but yours." He could have called angels; He waited. He could have escaped; He stayed. He could have forced a different outcome; He surrendered.
The Puritans' Patient Hope - Reformed (Isaiah 40:31)
The Puritans often didn't see the fruit of their labors in their lifetime. They planted churches, wrote theology, shaped institutions—for future generations. Jonathan Edwards preached the sermons that
A.W. Tozer on Waiting for God's Strength - Traditional (Isaiah 40:31)
"Waiting on God is not passive resignation but active faith. The eagle does not flap frantically; it waits for the thermal, then soars. Our strength comes not from striving but from trusting, not from
E. Stanley Jones on Active Waiting - Wesleyan (Isaiah 40:31)
"Waiting on God is not inactivity but receptivity. We open ourselves to divine strength; we position ourselves for renewal. God gives the power; we must receive it. The promise is conditional: THOSE W
J. Vernon McGee on Waiting for Israel's Comfort - Dispensational (Isaiah 40:31)
"Isaiah 40 opens with 'Comfort my people.' This is prophetic promise to Israel, awaiting ultimate fulfillment when Messiah returns. But in this church age, we too wait and receive renewed strength. Th
Gustavo Gutiérrez on Strength for the Struggle - Liberation (Isaiah 40:31)
"The oppressed grow weary in the long struggle. But those who wait on the God of liberation receive strength to continue. This is not passive waiting but revolutionary hope—strength renewed for justic
Bill Johnson on Soaring in the Spirit - Charismatic (Isaiah 40:31)
"Mount up with wings like eagles—this is life in the Spirit! The Spirit is the wind beneath our wings. When we wait in His presence, soaking in worship, we receive supernatural lift. Don't just walk;
Metropolitan Kallistos Ware on Theotic Renewal - Orthodox (Isaiah 40:31)
"Renewed strength in the Orthodox vision is participation in divine energy. We wait, emptied of self-reliance, and are filled with God's own life. The eagle soaring is theosis pictured—lifted by divin
Karl Barth on Waiting for Christ - Christocentric (Isaiah 40:31)
"Israel waited for the Lord—and the Lord came in Christ. Our waiting is now defined by Him: we wait in Christ, through Christ, for Christ's return. He is both the one we wait for and the strength we r
Smith Wigglesworth on Spirit-Renewed Strength - Pentecostal (Isaiah 40:31)
"Wait on God and receive FRESH power! The Holy Spirit renews our strength—not the same old energy but NEW strength from on high! Mount up with wings like eagles—that's supernatural flight! Expect the
John Piper on God-Dependent Strength - Reformed (Isaiah 40:31)
"'They shall renew their strength'—not generate it, but RENEW it. The strength is God's, given to those who wait. This is the heart of the Reformed vision: we are utterly dependent on grace. Our soari
Howard Thurman on Waiting Through the Night - Black Church (Isaiah 40:31)
"The enslaved knew how to wait. Through centuries of night, they waited on the Lord. And they did not faint. Weeping endured for the night, but joy came. Their strength renewed generation after genera
Charles Spurgeon on Personal Renewal - Baptist (Isaiah 40:31)
"Are you weary today? Wait on the Lord—personally, specifically, right now. He knows YOUR exhaustion. The promise is for YOU: YOUR strength shall be renewed. Come to Him, wait upon Him, and receive fr
David Bosch on Sustained Mission - Missional (Isaiah 40:31)
"Mission marathons require more than initial enthusiasm. 'They shall run and not be weary' is the promise to those who wait on God before they go. Sustainable mission flows from renewed strength, not
N.T. Wright on New Creation Strength - Anglican (Isaiah 40:31)
"Isaiah 40 anticipates new creation. The renewed strength is resurrection power—the same power that will raise the dead already at work in those who wait. We soar because new creation has begun; we ru