Message summary: By God's grace, as you wait on the Lord, may your strength be renewed and may you spiritually soar above the inevitable storms of life.

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"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31).

When I was child I liked it when Mom would rearrange the furniture in the living room of our small house in Belton, Missouri. It always made things seem new at least for several days! We probably picked up after ourselves a little better when the rearrangement of furniture made it seem like a "new" room.

Yesterday we rearranged the furniture in our home office most notably moving my desk from where it faced a wall for nearly 20 years. It now faces the outdoors through floor length windows and a glass door.

One major benefit is the visibility I have outdoors as compared to the wall which served as the background to my desk! Yesterday we were working together and I spotted the bald eagles (at least three of them) soaring above the farm field across the road.

For many years I have really liked eagles. I have a mantle in our family room with several carved eagles, including a full sized eagle that a reader carved and sent to us years ago. I didn't see them when I was a child growing up in the Kansas City area. At that time they were endangered and rarely seen. But they sure have recovered. We presently live several miles from the Susquehanna River where there are several eagle's nests.  So today I thought it would be good to share the most familiar Scripture verse on eagles. Our message is especially targeted to those who are weak and need strength.

The daily Scripture text is among the first verses we committed to memory as young Christians in Bible College. It was a popular chorus Brooksyne sang in her church while growing up and I learned it during my Bible College years. It would be great to hear it in a worship setting again since it's merely singing the very words of Scripture. Perhaps if they add a verse or a bridge it might just make a come back. It has often been a source of encouragement and strength in my life.

Isaiah 40 is recognized by many to be among the most powerful chapters of Scripture and in fact many secularists acknowledge the superb literary beauty of this passage.

The daily text is the final verse in this great chapter. What a promise! Read it slowly and aloud if you are able: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength". Isaiah, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote these words some 2,700 years ago. Yet the Word of God is living and active and presents unchangeable truth. God still gives strength to those who don't get ahead of His plan but wait upon Him for His wisdom, His peace, and His guiding presence.

It presents an essential key to personal renewal and strength - waiting on the Lord. We look back and recall when we accepted the Lord, first placing our hope and trust in Him. That's wonderful. But this verse refers to an active, present tense sense of waiting, hoping and trusting in the Lord. The Amplified Bible is helpful in expressing the depth of the Hebrew word, "Those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him]."

The Full Life Study Bible makes this observation: "To hope in the Lord is to trust Him fully with our lives; it involves looking to Him as our source of help and grace in time of need. Those who hope in the Lord are promised:

The image of a soaring eagle is used. "They shall mount up with wings as eagles." Many have observed the ability of the eagle to soar above the storms and likewise through ourmounting hope we can soar above the storms of life.

Today we encourage you to place an active hope in the Lord. Undoubtedly many of you have serious matters you are waiting on. By God's grace, as you wait on the Lord, may your strength be renewed and your spirit soar like the eagle above the inevitable storms of life!

Be encouraged today!  Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber