Scripture Focus (NKJV)
“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…”
— Isaiah 40:29–31
Devotional
There was a season when I genuinely felt like I could not go on any longer.
Not dramatically. Not publicly. But internally, something had thinned out. I was still studying. Still praying. Still fasting. Still showing up. From the outside, it looked spiritual and disciplined. But inside, I was exhausted in a way that frightened me. I was drawing strength from God, yes — but often out of fear rather than trust. I was praying because I was afraid of failing again. Fasting because I felt desperate. Crying because I didn’t know how to sustain myself.
There was a subtle loss of excitement for the journey. Studying felt heavy. I could read for hours and retain very little. I grew irritable. I prayed but felt dry. Thriving felt like a distant concept. Survival became the goal.
And when I read, “those who wait on the Lord,” I felt confused. I thought I was waiting. I was doing all the spiritual disciplines. Why did I still feel empty?
Isaiah 40 does not promise strength to the disciplined. It promises strength to the weak. It does not say, “He gives power to the productive,” or “He increases might to the spiritually impressive.” It says He gives power to the weak — to those who have no might left.
Burnout often happens when we are still moving, still striving, still functioning — but no longer replenished. Even the youths shall faint and be weary. Even the strong fall. Even the capable collapse. Exhaustion is not proof that you are uncalled; it is proof that you are human.
But here is where the verse deepens.
“Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.”
The word “renew” in Hebrew carries the idea of exchange — like changing garments. It is not merely topping off what remains; it is replacing it. It is not squeezing the last drop out of your own resilience. It is laying down depleted strength and receiving strength that is not your own.
Waiting is not frantic striving in God’s direction. It is not bargaining. It is not spiritual performance motivated by fear. Waiting is quiet dependence. It is trusting that God sustains what He calls. It is allowing Him to carry what you have been trying to manage.
Psalm 73 says, “My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart.” That is not poetic exaggeration. It is a confession of limitation. There will be moments when your mind feels foggy, your body feels tired, your motivation fades, and your spiritual emotions feel dry. But God does not withdraw when you feel empty. Lamentations reminds us that His mercies are new every morning — not because we performed well yesterday, but because His compassion does not fail.
Burnout whispers, “You are running out.”
Isaiah answers, “God is not.”
The fear of collapsing again is real, especially if you have walked through that valley before. But renewal is not dependent on your emotional intensity. It is dependent on God’s faithfulness. You are not sustained by adrenaline or anxiety. You are sustained by grace.
You may feel like you are surviving right now. Thriving may feel distant. But strength in Scripture is not loud; it is steady. It is the quiet ability to rise again tomorrow. It is the grace to study one more chapter. It is the calm to sit with God without forcing feeling.
He gives power to the weak.
That means you qualify.
Application
Where are you trying to generate strength instead of receiving it? Are your spiritual disciplines fueled by fear, or by trust? What would it look like to stop striving and simply acknowledge your weakness before God?
Prayer
Lord, I confess that I am tired. I have tried to hold myself together. I have tried to sustain my calling through effort and intensity. Teach me what it means to truly wait on You. Exchange my depleted strength for Yours. Restore what feels worn thin. Help me trust that You sustain what You call.
Amen.
Final Reflection
Even the strong fall.
Even the capable grow weary.
But those who wait — not perform, not strive, not panic — those who wait will exchange their weakness for strength.
And God has never run out.