- [00:00:00] This morning, like most mornings, I tried to step on my weighing machine—not for reasons you might think. I had long ago given up dreams and resolutions about losing weight, but this was just to check where I am. The scale is solar battery-powered; you tap it to check the battery level, and it showed 100%. However, when I stepped on it, it immediately started blinking \"low battery\" repeatedly. I wondered if it was trying to communicate a message to me, perhaps not about my weight, but about how I was feeling today. - [00:00:40] Then I realized that, like most solar batteries, it has a life cycle. Even when it looks fully charged, after enough cycles of charging and discharging, it basically has no energy left—it dies. Sometimes, the end of the year can feel like that. You wake up, recharge, run, run, run, and by the time you reach the end, you step on the scale and find you’re running on low battery, even though you look fully charged. - [00:01:20] The end of the year’s despair can sound different to different people. Some may feel that despite working so hard, they were not rewarded or were even let go. Others may have stayed faithful and worked tremendously but saw no promotions. Another year has passed, and they are still behind. So, we tend to make New Year’s resolutions to cope with burnout or exhaustion, thinking, “I’m going to work more this year.” Or if you’re just too tired and have given up, you might plan to do more scrolling or self-optimization. - [00:01:59] In this passage, Isaiah addresses a people who were actually in such a state—the nation of Israel and Judah living in exile. They were in a land not their own, with no king, no land, and no temple for God’s covenant people. They were completely lost, with no direction, security, or comfort, feeling the absence of God’s presence. As a result, they were scared, confused, and lonely. - [00:02:39] The repeated words in this text capture how they felt emotionally: faint, weary, and exhausted. Perhaps some of us feel the same way right now. The theme of my sermon is the word God is communicating to this people who feel lost in a strange land. That one singular word is: rise up. I believe that is the word God is giving each of us, no matter our situation, saying, “My son, my daughter, rise up.” - [00:04:09] God gives us three principles to help us rise up. First, “Rise up by remembering who you are.” Second, “Rise up by remembering who God is.” Third, “Rise up by waiting upon the Lord.” These are simple but powerful commands and promises for God’s covenant people who feel exhausted, depleted, and in exile. - [00:04:52] First, God encourages them to rise up by remembering who they are. Isaiah 40 opens with God questioning their despair: “Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel?” This passage begins with their question: “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God.” God uses the names Jacob, Israel, and Zion—all designations for His covenant people. - [00:05:46] Even in their complaint, they say, “My right is disregarded by my God.” God wants them to remember their covenant identity. The question behind their complaint is: if they are God’s people, why does He seem absent? They believe God has lost track of them, that His justice has failed. They feel invisible because of their suffering. They haven’t lost belief in God, but they no longer trust His attentiveness. - [00:06:32] When they say, “My way is hidden from the Lord,” they assume delay means neglect, silence means absence, and weakness means abandonment. We can relate to this when prayers seem unanswered, and God seems silent or distant. But what they forgot was their identity as God’s covenant people. God had promised they would be His people, and He would be their God. - [00:08:03] They forgot their history with God—over 2,000 years of God’s faithfulness. He delivered them from mighty empires like Egypt, parted the Red Sea, used a shepherd boy to slay a giant, and made him king. Maybe you feel fatigued because God hasn’t answered your prayers or made things right. God wants to remind you that you have a history with Him. Remember what He has done for you. - [00:08:47] God wants them to recall their chosen identity and that He is with them, not against them. This ties to Christmas, where God came to be with us. Next, God points to the second principle: rise up by remembering who God is. - [00:09:26] Verse 28 says: “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable.” Israel’s hope is not in understanding God’s plan but in trusting His character. - [00:10:14] You can know about God intellectually, but real trust in His character is more precious and deeper than knowledge. God challenges them to acknowledge their gap in understanding and trust. To rise up, they need to regain trust in God’s character. - [00:10:58] The people thought God was like human kings, who had failed them. Their best kings failed, and they felt abandoned. We can relate to that feeling when places we give our best to don’t reciprocate loyalty. But God wants them to know He is not like mere mortals—He is eternal and all-knowing. - [00:12:25] God does not faint or grow weary. Unlike us or earthly rulers, His understanding is unsearchable. We may not understand all He does, but that doesn’t make Him unreliable. As Calvin’s testimony highlighted, God never promises to answer all questions but assures His presence. - [00:13:03] God gives power to the faint. Joseph was thrown in a pit, then prison, but God made him powerful and placed him in a palace. God strengthens those the world deems weak. The story of Daniel in the lion’s den reminds us that trusting God’s character, not our strength, wins the final victory. - [00:13:55] The third principle is a beautiful promise: rise up by waiting upon the Lord. Even youths shall faint and be weary, young men shall fall exhausted, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. - [00:14:39] This is an encouraging assurance. God contrasts two scenarios: even the best among us will grow weary, but those who wait on the Lord will be renewed. He gives the image of mounting up with wings like eagles, running without weariness, and walking without fainting. - [00:15:24] I follow Ironman pro triathletes, notably the Norwegian Dream Team, who use technology and nutrition to excel. One champion, Christian Blumenfeld, despite being a bit bigger, won through expertise. Yet in a recent race, despite his elite status, his calf muscle pulled during the marathon, forcing him to stop. Even the best get exhausted. - [00:16:44] But God says, “They who wait upon the Lord.” Waiting is often misunderstood as wasting time or doing nothing, or just praying for material things. But waiting upon the Lord means coming to the end of our own strength and acknowledging we need help from outside ourselves. - [00:17:35] Waiting means realigning our faith and understanding of who God is—trusting His character and promises. Testimonies affirm that through waiting, people grow deeper trust in God. - [00:18:58] The passage says those who wait will “mount up with wings like eagles.” The Greek myth said eagles renew feathers every ten years, but bald eagles actually shed and regrow feathers annually in a way that doesn’t disrupt their flight. God uses this imagery to describe renewal. - [00:19:37] Waiting on God renews our strength so we can soar like eagles. The text continues: “They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Flying, running, and walking represent different stages of Christian life. - [00:20:19] When we are at our weakest, down on the ground, we can rise like eagles by God’s strength. Running represents the race of faith; the Apostle Paul said he fought the fight and finished the race. Walking symbolizes persevering day by day. - [00:21:01] I have attempted half Ironman races and often find myself walking near the end. The goal is not necessarily to run fast but to finish without fainting. Israel experienced this weakness but was called to wait because they needed help from outside themselves. - [00:22:22] God’s Spirit is the source of strength, comfort, and endurance. Through His presence, fellowship, and His word, He enables us to run and walk without fainting. The attributes of God—who does not faint or grow weary—are imparted to us. - [00:23:09] Whether soaring in extraordinary deliverance, running in sustained obedience, or walking faithfully in the ordinary, God’s strength sustains us. Waiting exposes our inability and teaches us to rely fully on God. - [00:23:52] Isaiah 42-53 talks about God sending His servant who “does not grow faint or weary.” This servant, fulfilled in Christ Jesus, endured testing without fainting and patiently waited upon the Father, giving strength to the weak. - [00:24:43] My encouragement as you enter this year is to make it a year of learning to wait upon the Lord—spending more time in prayer, fellowship, Scripture, and discipleship. This will enable you to rise up. - [00:25:31] We live in a culture that values doing over being, but God’s concern is who we are becoming through what we do. Perhaps this year, God is encouraging us to slow down, remove distractions, and experience His rest. - [00:26:22] Wait upon the Lord and let Him do wonderful things in your life. When you hit the ground, because you have waited on the Lord, you can rise up with wings like eagles, run your race with energy, and walk faithfully through life empowered by the Holy Spirit. - [00:26:22] Let us embrace this promise for the year: rise up by remembering who we are—God’s covenant people; by remembering who God is—the everlasting Creator who gives strength to the weary; and by waiting upon the Lord.