"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 is one of the most beloved promises in the Old Testament — and one of the most needed. It's the verse for the person who is exhausted. Who has been running hard and has nothing left. Who has been faithful for a long time and is starting to wonder if they can keep going.
But the verse is more specific than a general encouragement to keep trying. It makes a precise promise about a precise condition — and understanding what Isaiah was actually saying will give you something far more solid than a motivational push. It will give you a theology of renewal that holds when your own strength is completely gone.
The Context: A People Who Had Run Out of Strength
Isaiah 40 was written to the people of Israel in one of the darkest seasons in their history — the Babylonian exile. Jerusalem had fallen. The temple had been destroyed. The people had been carried away from everything they knew. And they were exhausted — not just physically, but spiritually. They had been waiting for God to act, and it felt like He wasn't.
Isaiah 40:27 captures their complaint: "Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, 'My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God'?" They felt unseen. Forgotten. Like God had stopped paying attention to their situation.
Isaiah's response is one of the most magnificent passages in all of Scripture. He doesn't minimize their exhaustion. He doesn't tell them to try harder. He points them to the character of God — the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, who does not grow tired or weary (Isaiah 40:28). And then he makes the promise of verse 31: those who hope in this God will have their strength renewed.
The context matters because Isaiah 40:31 is not a promise for people who are doing fine. It's a promise for people who have run out. Who are in exile. Who feel forgotten. Who are wondering if God is still paying attention. That's exactly who this verse was written for.
"Those Who Hope In The Lord" — The Condition That Unlocks the Promise
The Hebrew word for "hope" is qavah — and it means far more than wishful thinking. Qavah carries the image of a rope being twisted and braided — strands being wound tightly together. To hope in the Lord is to be bound to Him, intertwined with Him, so tightly connected that you cannot be separated from the source of strength.
It also carries the meaning of waiting with expectation — not passive resignation, but active, confident anticipation. The person who hopes in the Lord is not just sitting around hoping things get better. They are actively, deliberately, expectantly waiting on God — trusting that He will act, that He will come through, that His timing is not the same as theirs but His faithfulness is certain.
This is the same posture as Proverbs 3:5–6 — trusting in the Lord with all your heart, leaning not on your own understanding. Read more about what Proverbs 3:5 really means. And it's the same posture as Philippians 4:13 — the strength to face all circumstances comes not from your own reserves but from Christ. Read more about what Philippians 4:13 really means.
"Will Renew Their Strength" — What Renewal Actually Means
The Hebrew word for "renew" is chalaph — which means to change, to exchange, to pass through. It carries the image of a snake shedding its old skin and emerging renewed, or of a soldier exchanging his worn-out equipment for fresh gear. The renewal Isaiah is describing is not a top-up of existing strength. It's an exchange — your depleted strength for God's inexhaustible strength.
This is the same principle Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 12:9 — "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." The renewal doesn't happen when you generate enough willpower or faith. It happens when you stop relying on your own strength and exchange it for His. The condition for renewal is not having enough left — it's being empty enough to receive what God offers.
Isaiah 40:28–29 sets this up: "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." God doesn't strengthen the strong. He strengthens the weary. He increases the power of the weak. The exhaustion you're feeling right now is not a disqualification from the promise. It's the exact condition the promise was written for.
"They Will Soar On Wings Like Eagles" — The Image That Captures Everything
The eagle is the most powerful image of strength and freedom in the ancient world. Eagles don't flap their wings constantly — they find the thermal currents, the rising columns of warm air, and they spread their wings and soar. They rise effortlessly, carried by something outside themselves.
That's the image Isaiah is using. The person who hopes in the Lord doesn't generate their own lift. They find the current — the Spirit of God, the grace of God, the strength of God — and they spread their wings and rise. The effort is not eliminated. But the source of the lift is not their own striving. It's the wind of God beneath their wings.
This is what it looks like to walk by faith rather than by sight — to stop flapping frantically in your own strength and to trust the current that God provides. Read more about what walk by faith really means.
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"They Will Run and Not Grow Weary, They Will Walk and Not Be Faint" — The Order That Surprises
Most people read this verse and assume the order goes from greatest to least — soaring is the best, running is second, walking is the consolation prize. But many scholars read it the other way: the order goes from the spectacular to the ordinary, and the ordinary is the hardest.
Soaring on wings like eagles — the mountaintop moments, the times when God's presence is unmistakable and the spiritual high carries you. Running and not growing weary — the seasons of active ministry, fruitful work, visible progress. But walking and not fainting — the long, ordinary, unglamorous faithfulness of putting one foot in front of the other when nothing spectacular is happening, when the answers haven't come, when the waiting has gone on longer than you expected.
That last one is the hardest. And Isaiah promises it too. The person who hopes in the Lord will walk — through the long seasons, the ordinary days, the years of faithful obedience that nobody sees — and they will not faint. The strength for the ordinary is just as much a gift of God as the strength for the extraordinary.
This is exactly what the Lord Is Close promise of Psalm 34:18 is about — God is close to the brokenhearted, present in the ordinary hard days, not just the dramatic ones. Read more about the best Christian gifts for someone going through hard times.
Isaiah 40:31 and the Fear Not Promise
Isaiah 40:31 and Isaiah 41:10 are companion promises — written just one chapter apart, addressed to the same exhausted, exiled people. Isaiah 41:10 — "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
The God who renews strength in Isaiah 40:31 is the same God who promises to strengthen, help, and uphold in Isaiah 41:10. Both promises are grounded in the same foundation: who God is, not what the circumstances look like. The Isaiah 41:10 Candle is a daily declaration of both promises — the God who renews and the God who upholds. Read more about what fear not means in the Bible.
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When You Are Running on Empty
Isaiah 40:31 is the verse for specific moments. Here's what it promises in the situations where you need it most:
When You're Spiritually Exhausted
You've been faithful. You've been praying. You've been serving. And you have nothing left. Isaiah 40:31 is not telling you to try harder. It's telling you to hope — to braid yourself to the Lord, to wait on Him with expectation, and to receive the exchange: your empty for His full. The Pray Without Ceasing Candle is a daily prompt to stay in that posture of dependence. Read more about what pray without ceasing really means.
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When the Waiting Has Gone On Too Long
The exile lasted 70 years. Isaiah's audience didn't see the fulfillment of his promises in their lifetimes. Qavah — the hope that braids itself to God — is the posture for the long wait. With God all things are possible, and His timing is not ours. Read more about what with God all things are possible really means. The All Things Are Possible Candle is a daily declaration that the wait is not the end of the story.
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When Fear Is Stealing Your Strength
Exhaustion and fear often travel together. The person who is running on empty is also often the person who is most afraid. Isaiah 40:31 and Isaiah 41:10 together are the answer: hope in the Lord, and fear not — because the God who renews your strength is the same God who is with you. Read more about what faith over fear really means. The Faith Over Fear Candle is the daily declaration of that choice.
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Verses That Deepen the Meaning of Isaiah 40:31
- Isaiah 40:28–29 — "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."
- Isaiah 41:10 — "Fear not, for I am with you; I will strengthen you, I will help you." Read more about what fear not means in the Bible.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9 — "My power is made perfect in weakness."
- Philippians 4:13 — "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Read more about what Philippians 4:13 really means.
- Psalm 23:3 — "He restores my soul." Read more about the full meaning of Psalm 23.
- Romans 8:28 — "In all things God works for the good of those who love him." Read more about what Romans 8:28 really means.
- 1 John 4:4 — "Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world." Read more about what God is greater really means.
Browse the full collection of faith-based apparel and Bible verse candles at Christian Clothing Co — designed for people who are learning to exchange their empty for God's full and soar on wings like eagles.
And if you want to go deeper on strength and renewal in hard seasons, check out our articles on what Philippians 4:13 really means, what Proverbs 3:5 really means, and the best Christian gifts for someone going through hard times.