His Strength In My Weakness
His Strength In My Weakness
Text: Isaiah 40:28–31(NKJ)
* This morning I want to a few minutes and think about a simple but important question . . .
- How do we keep going when we feel like we have nothing left to give?
* Every person in this room has experienced this at some point.
- It is those moments in life when we feel drained, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
- And sometimes the biggest problem is . . . It seems like it will never change.
- But here is the truth we need to hold on to . . . God understands those moments!
- And God has provided strength for those who are tired and weary!
* Listen to these words from Isa 41:10(NKJ) Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I
am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous
right hand.
- Let that sink in and minister to your heart . . . Our Father in Heaven promises He will . . .
- Strengthen us . . . Help us . . . And hold us up with His righteous right hand!!
* Every Christian eventually faces moments when the weight of life presses so heavily on them that strength seems to disappear.
- There are seasons when faith feels tired, prayers feel weak, and the burdens of life feel
overwhelming . . . Some of you, right now, know exactly what that feels like!
* You’ve prayed . . . You’ve believed . . . You’ve tried to stand strong.
- But somewhere along the journey, the trial has lingered longer than expected . . .
- And now you find yourself asking quietly in your heart . . . Lord, I don’t know if I have the
strength to keep going.
* The good news of the gospel is that God never required you to have strength in yourself.
- The Bible consistently shows us, God does His greatest work when our strength runs out.
- The apostle Paul says in 2 Cor 12:9(NKJ) And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for
you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
- When our strength fails . . . God’s strength begins to rise.
Let’s take a moment and look at our text . . . Isaiah 40:28–31(NKJ)
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of
the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He
gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might, He increases strength. Even the
youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on
the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall
run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
* This passage is one of the most comforting and powerful promises in all of the Bible.
- It speaks directly to those seasons when we feel exhausted, discouraged, and spiritually
worn down.
- In these verses, God reveals His desire to renew the strength of those who depend on Him.
* So, this morning I want to talk about how God gets us through seasons of exhaustion and how He
renews our strength when we feel like we have nothing left to give.
* Our text comes at the end of chapter 40 in Isaiah . . . I think it would help to understand why God
put these words here.
- Isaiah 40 begins a major shift in the book of Isaiah.
- The earlier chapters warned Judah about judgment and exile because of their sin.
- But beginning in chapter 40, the message changes from warning to comfort and restoration.
- Isaiah 40:1(NKJ) begins the chapter by saying Comfort, yes, comfort My people! Says
your God.
* What this chapter emphasizes God’s greatness, His sovereignty, and His power, and it contrasts
that power with human weakness.
- In verses 1 & 2 we see God's promise for comfort and restoration.
- In verses 3-11 we a call to prepare for coming revelation . . . Jesus!
- In verses 6-8 we see human frailty vs. the power of God's eternal Word.
- In verses 12-27 we see the greatness of God.
- In verses 28-31 we see God's desire to strengthen and renew the weary and discouraged.
- This is great news for those who feel . . . Like life has drained the strength out of you!
* One of the greatest lies the enemy tells us when we are overwhelmed is . . .
- If you were really spiritual, you wouldn’t feel this way.
- But the Bible shows us something very different.
- David write in Psalm 61:1-4(NKJ) Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the
end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the
enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.
* Even the greatest men and women of God experienced moments where their strength failed.
- Elijah . . . After experiencing one of the most powerful spiritual victories in the Bible
suddenly found himself running for his life from Jezebel.
- Exhausted and discouraged, he sat under a broom tree and the Bible says . . .
- 1 Kings 19:4(NKJ) But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came
and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is
enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
- Here is a prophet who had just called fire down from heaven yet he feels completely drained.
* What did God do? . . . He didn’t rebuke Elijah . . .He restored him.
- God allowed Elijah to rest, fed him, strengthened him, and then spoke gently to him in a still
small voice.
- This shows us something powerful . . . Weakness does not disqualify you.
- Psalm 34:19(NKJ) reminds us . . . Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord
delivers him out of them all . . . Trials are not evidence that God has abandoned you.
- Sometimes they are the very place where God begins His deepest work in your life.
* Throughout the Bible we are shown that God always moves toward those who are weak and tired.
- In verse 29 of our text the Bible says . . . He gives power to the weak, and to those who
have no might He increases strength.
- I want you to notice something important about that verse . . .
- God does not give strength to those who already have it . . . He gives strength to those
who have no strength left.
- When human resources run out, divine resources become available!
- Psalm 73:26(NKJ) says . . . My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my
heart and my portion forever.
* Sometimes the Lord allows our own strength to fail so we will learn to lean on His!
- Paul understood this truth deeply . . . It is something we cannot afford to overlook . . .
- 2 Cor 1:8–9(NLT) We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the
trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed
beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact,
we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to
rely only on God, who raises the dead.
- Trials teach us to trust in the resurrection power of God!!!!
* Listen to me this morning . . . The same power that raised Jesus from the dead now strengthens
us through the Holy Spirit.
- Rom 8:11(NKJ) says . . . But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells
in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies
through His Spirit who dwells in you.
* One of the most comforting truths in the Bible is this . . . God walks with us through the trial!!
- Isaiah 43:2(NKJ) says . . . When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And
through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you
shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.
- Sometimes the greatest miracle is not the removal of the trial . . . It is the presence of God in
the middle of it.
- Psalm 23:4(NKJ) says . . . Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
- Notice the Bible says walk through . . . The valley is not your destination . . . It is the door to
His strength.
* All these verses and promises must become more than words on a page or fodder for us
to say amen to . . . These words must be the bedrock we stand on in spite of circumstance.
You may be saying to yourself right now . . .
This is all good and well and I believe every word you have said . . .
But in the moment when I am the weakest what do I do?
* It is simple but profound . . . Strength Comes Through Waiting on the Lord!
- Before we dive into this let me say . . . Waiting on the Lord is not doing nothing, it doing
the right thing.
* Our text in verse 31 says . . . But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.
- Waiting on the Lord is positioning your heart in dependence upon Him!
- The Hebrew word for wait carries the idea of binding together, like twisting strands into a rope.
- When we wait on the Lord, our weakness becomes intertwined with God’s strength.
- And our weakness becomes His strength.
* Waiting involves three spiritual disciplines.
1. We Wait on the Lord Through Prayer . . .
* We Wait on the Lord Through Prayer . . .
- When trials overwhelm us, when we feel like we have no strength left . . . Prayer reconnects
our hearts to God’s presence.
- Now, this may be the most difficult thing to overcome is apathy . . .
- When we are struggling and tried many times we descend into apathy . . . I just don't care.
- I’m too tired to care . . . I don't have any fight left in me . . . Now you want me to pray . . . Yes!!
* The truth is there is more in you than you believe . . . The devil often exploits or weariness and
sows lies, tempting us to believe there is nothing left . . . It is simply not true.
* We must learn that through prayer God shows Himself strong on our behalf.
- Phil 4:6-7(NKJ) tells us . . . Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the
peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.
- Prayer does not always remove the trial immediately, but it restores peace and strength with.
2. We Wait on the Lord Through Worship . . .
* We Wait on the Lord Through Worship . . .
- Worship shifts our focus from the problem to the greatness of God.
- When Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned, they began singing hymns at midnight.
- Acts 16:25-26(NKJ) says . . . But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing
hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great
earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the
doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.
- Worship releases the atmosphere of heaven into the darkest situations. ( Expound )
3. We Wait on the Lord Through the Word . . .
* We Wait on the Lord Through the Word . . .
- Psalm 119:28 says . . . My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to
Your word.
- This verse shows us that when our hearts feel crushed by life’s pressures, God renews our
strength through His promises and truth found in the Bible.
- When the David asks God to strengthen him according to Your word, he is acknowledging
that God’s strength comes through the truth He has already spoken.
- The Bible reveals God’s character . . . His faithfulness, mercy, and power . . . And when we remembers those promises, it brings renewed courage and stability.
- As we meditate on and trust what God has said, His Word lifts the soul out of despair and
restores spiritual endurance.
- In this way, we see that real strength does not come merely from relief of circumstances . . .
- But from letting the truth of God Word reshape the heart and sustain the spirit in the middle
of heaviness.
Conclusion . . . ( Call up Worship Team )
* Maybe today you feel like your strength is gone . . . Maybe the trial has lasted longer than you
expected . . . Maybe you’ve prayed and wondered if God hears.
- Let this truth settle into your heart . . . God has not forgotten you.
- He says . . . I will never leave you nor forsake you.
- Remember Isaiah 41:10(NKJ) Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am
your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My
righteous right hand.
* When your strength fails, God’s strength remains.
- When your hope feels weak, His promises remain.
- And when you feel like you cannot take another step, the Holy Spirit gives you strength to
stand again.
* Remember the promise in our text . . . They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and
not faint.
- Even when you feel weak . . . God is working.
- Even when you feel empty . . . God is sustaining.
- And even when you feel like you cannot go on . . . His grace will carry you forward.
* If you’re walking through a season where your strength feels gone, this is a moment to bring that
burden to the Lord.
- Jesus said . . . Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
- The invitation is simple . . . Come to Him . . . Lay the burden down.
- And allow the Spirit of God to renew your strength today.
* This morning I want to a few minutes and think about a simple but important question . . .
- How do we keep going when we feel like we have nothing left to give?
* Every person in this room has experienced this at some point.
- It is those moments in life when we feel drained, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
- And sometimes the biggest problem is . . . It seems like it will never change.
- But here is the truth we need to hold on to . . . God understands those moments!
- And God has provided strength for those who are tired and weary!
* Listen to these words from Isa 41:10(NKJ) Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I
am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous
right hand.
- Let that sink in and minister to your heart . . . Our Father in Heaven promises He will . . .
- Strengthen us . . . Help us . . . And hold us up with His righteous right hand!!
* Every Christian eventually faces moments when the weight of life presses so heavily on them that strength seems to disappear.
- There are seasons when faith feels tired, prayers feel weak, and the burdens of life feel
overwhelming . . . Some of you, right now, know exactly what that feels like!
* You’ve prayed . . . You’ve believed . . . You’ve tried to stand strong.
- But somewhere along the journey, the trial has lingered longer than expected . . .
- And now you find yourself asking quietly in your heart . . . Lord, I don’t know if I have the
strength to keep going.
* The good news of the gospel is that God never required you to have strength in yourself.
- The Bible consistently shows us, God does His greatest work when our strength runs out.
- The apostle Paul says in 2 Cor 12:9(NKJ) And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for
you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
- When our strength fails . . . God’s strength begins to rise.
Let’s take a moment and look at our text . . . Isaiah 40:28–31(NKJ)
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of
the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He
gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might, He increases strength. Even the
youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on
the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall
run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
* This passage is one of the most comforting and powerful promises in all of the Bible.
- It speaks directly to those seasons when we feel exhausted, discouraged, and spiritually
worn down.
- In these verses, God reveals His desire to renew the strength of those who depend on Him.
* So, this morning I want to talk about how God gets us through seasons of exhaustion and how He
renews our strength when we feel like we have nothing left to give.
* Our text comes at the end of chapter 40 in Isaiah . . . I think it would help to understand why God
put these words here.
- Isaiah 40 begins a major shift in the book of Isaiah.
- The earlier chapters warned Judah about judgment and exile because of their sin.
- But beginning in chapter 40, the message changes from warning to comfort and restoration.
- Isaiah 40:1(NKJ) begins the chapter by saying Comfort, yes, comfort My people! Says
your God.
* What this chapter emphasizes God’s greatness, His sovereignty, and His power, and it contrasts
that power with human weakness.
- In verses 1 & 2 we see God's promise for comfort and restoration.
- In verses 3-11 we a call to prepare for coming revelation . . . Jesus!
- In verses 6-8 we see human frailty vs. the power of God's eternal Word.
- In verses 12-27 we see the greatness of God.
- In verses 28-31 we see God's desire to strengthen and renew the weary and discouraged.
- This is great news for those who feel . . . Like life has drained the strength out of you!
* One of the greatest lies the enemy tells us when we are overwhelmed is . . .
- If you were really spiritual, you wouldn’t feel this way.
- But the Bible shows us something very different.
- David write in Psalm 61:1-4(NKJ) Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the
end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the
enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.
* Even the greatest men and women of God experienced moments where their strength failed.
- Elijah . . . After experiencing one of the most powerful spiritual victories in the Bible
suddenly found himself running for his life from Jezebel.
- Exhausted and discouraged, he sat under a broom tree and the Bible says . . .
- 1 Kings 19:4(NKJ) But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came
and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is
enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
- Here is a prophet who had just called fire down from heaven yet he feels completely drained.
* What did God do? . . . He didn’t rebuke Elijah . . .He restored him.
- God allowed Elijah to rest, fed him, strengthened him, and then spoke gently to him in a still
small voice.
- This shows us something powerful . . . Weakness does not disqualify you.
- Psalm 34:19(NKJ) reminds us . . . Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord
delivers him out of them all . . . Trials are not evidence that God has abandoned you.
- Sometimes they are the very place where God begins His deepest work in your life.
* Throughout the Bible we are shown that God always moves toward those who are weak and tired.
- In verse 29 of our text the Bible says . . . He gives power to the weak, and to those who
have no might He increases strength.
- I want you to notice something important about that verse . . .
- God does not give strength to those who already have it . . . He gives strength to those
who have no strength left.
- When human resources run out, divine resources become available!
- Psalm 73:26(NKJ) says . . . My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my
heart and my portion forever.
* Sometimes the Lord allows our own strength to fail so we will learn to lean on His!
- Paul understood this truth deeply . . . It is something we cannot afford to overlook . . .
- 2 Cor 1:8–9(NLT) We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the
trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed
beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact,
we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to
rely only on God, who raises the dead.
- Trials teach us to trust in the resurrection power of God!!!!
* Listen to me this morning . . . The same power that raised Jesus from the dead now strengthens
us through the Holy Spirit.
- Rom 8:11(NKJ) says . . . But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells
in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies
through His Spirit who dwells in you.
* One of the most comforting truths in the Bible is this . . . God walks with us through the trial!!
- Isaiah 43:2(NKJ) says . . . When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And
through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you
shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.
- Sometimes the greatest miracle is not the removal of the trial . . . It is the presence of God in
the middle of it.
- Psalm 23:4(NKJ) says . . . Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
- Notice the Bible says walk through . . . The valley is not your destination . . . It is the door to
His strength.
* All these verses and promises must become more than words on a page or fodder for us
to say amen to . . . These words must be the bedrock we stand on in spite of circumstance.
You may be saying to yourself right now . . .
This is all good and well and I believe every word you have said . . .
But in the moment when I am the weakest what do I do?
* It is simple but profound . . . Strength Comes Through Waiting on the Lord!
- Before we dive into this let me say . . . Waiting on the Lord is not doing nothing, it doing
the right thing.
* Our text in verse 31 says . . . But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.
- Waiting on the Lord is positioning your heart in dependence upon Him!
- The Hebrew word for wait carries the idea of binding together, like twisting strands into a rope.
- When we wait on the Lord, our weakness becomes intertwined with God’s strength.
- And our weakness becomes His strength.
* Waiting involves three spiritual disciplines.
1. We Wait on the Lord Through Prayer . . .
* We Wait on the Lord Through Prayer . . .
- When trials overwhelm us, when we feel like we have no strength left . . . Prayer reconnects
our hearts to God’s presence.
- Now, this may be the most difficult thing to overcome is apathy . . .
- When we are struggling and tried many times we descend into apathy . . . I just don't care.
- I’m too tired to care . . . I don't have any fight left in me . . . Now you want me to pray . . . Yes!!
* The truth is there is more in you than you believe . . . The devil often exploits or weariness and
sows lies, tempting us to believe there is nothing left . . . It is simply not true.
* We must learn that through prayer God shows Himself strong on our behalf.
- Phil 4:6-7(NKJ) tells us . . . Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the
peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.
- Prayer does not always remove the trial immediately, but it restores peace and strength with.
2. We Wait on the Lord Through Worship . . .
* We Wait on the Lord Through Worship . . .
- Worship shifts our focus from the problem to the greatness of God.
- When Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned, they began singing hymns at midnight.
- Acts 16:25-26(NKJ) says . . . But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing
hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great
earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the
doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.
- Worship releases the atmosphere of heaven into the darkest situations. ( Expound )
3. We Wait on the Lord Through the Word . . .
* We Wait on the Lord Through the Word . . .
- Psalm 119:28 says . . . My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to
Your word.
- This verse shows us that when our hearts feel crushed by life’s pressures, God renews our
strength through His promises and truth found in the Bible.
- When the David asks God to strengthen him according to Your word, he is acknowledging
that God’s strength comes through the truth He has already spoken.
- The Bible reveals God’s character . . . His faithfulness, mercy, and power . . . And when we remembers those promises, it brings renewed courage and stability.
- As we meditate on and trust what God has said, His Word lifts the soul out of despair and
restores spiritual endurance.
- In this way, we see that real strength does not come merely from relief of circumstances . . .
- But from letting the truth of God Word reshape the heart and sustain the spirit in the middle
of heaviness.
Conclusion . . . ( Call up Worship Team )
* Maybe today you feel like your strength is gone . . . Maybe the trial has lasted longer than you
expected . . . Maybe you’ve prayed and wondered if God hears.
- Let this truth settle into your heart . . . God has not forgotten you.
- He says . . . I will never leave you nor forsake you.
- Remember Isaiah 41:10(NKJ) Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am
your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My
righteous right hand.
* When your strength fails, God’s strength remains.
- When your hope feels weak, His promises remain.
- And when you feel like you cannot take another step, the Holy Spirit gives you strength to
stand again.
* Remember the promise in our text . . . They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and
not faint.
- Even when you feel weak . . . God is working.
- Even when you feel empty . . . God is sustaining.
- And even when you feel like you cannot go on . . . His grace will carry you forward.
* If you’re walking through a season where your strength feels gone, this is a moment to bring that
burden to the Lord.
- Jesus said . . . Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
- The invitation is simple . . . Come to Him . . . Lay the burden down.
- And allow the Spirit of God to renew your strength today.
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