The Lord Shall Renew Their Strength

Those who trust to their own sufficiency, and are so confident of it that they neither exert themselves to the utmost nor seek unto God for his grace, are the youth and the young men, who are strong, but are apt to think themselves stronger than they are. And they shall faint and be weary, yea, they shall utterly fail in their services, in their conflicts, and under their burdens; they shall soon be made to see the folly of trusting to themselves. But those that wait on the Lord, who make conscience of their duty to him, and by faith rely upon him and commit themselves to his guidance, shall find that God will not fail them. They shall have grace sufficient for them: They shall renew their strength as their work is renewed, as there is new occasion; they shall be anointed, and their lamps supplied, with fresh oil. God will be their arm every morning. If at any time they have been foiled and weakened they shall recover themselves, and so renew their strength. Heb. They shall change their strength, as their work is changed—doing work, suffering work; they shall have strength to labor, strength to wrestle, strength to resist, strength to bear. As the day so shall the strength be. They shall use this grace for the best purposes. Being strengthened, First, They shall soar upward, upward towards God: They shall mount up with wings like eagles, so strongly, so swiftly, so high and heaven-ward. In the strength of divine grace, their souls shall ascend above the world, and even enter into the holiest. Pious and devout affections are the eagles’ wings on which gracious souls mount up. Secondly, They shall press forward, forward towards heaven. They shall walk, they shall run, the way of God’s commandments, cheerfully and with alacrity (they shall not be weary ), constantly and with perseverance (they shall not faint ); and therefore in due season they shall reap. Let Jacob and Israel therefore, in their greatest distresses, continue waiting upon God, and not despair of timely and effectual relief and succour from him.In this chapter we have. Orders given to preach and publish the glad tidings of redemption. These glad tidings introduced by a voice in the wilderness, which gives assurance that all obstructions shall be removed, and that, though all creatures fail and fade, the word of God shall be established and accomplished. A joyful prospect given to the people of God of the happiness which this redemption should bring along with it. The sovereignty and power of that God magnified who undertakes to work out this redemption. Idols therefore triumphed over and idolaters upbraided with their folly. A reproof given to the people of God for their fears and despondencies, and enough said, in a few words, to silence those fears. And we, through patience and comfort of this scripture, may have hope.