(Isa. 40:1) --- "Comfort, yes, comfort My people!" Says your God. ---(40:21-27); --- 
Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? 
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the 
circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the 
heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He brings the 
princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless. Scarcely shall they be 
planted, scarcely shall they be sown, scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, 
when He will also blow on them, and they will wither, And the whirlwind will take them 
away like stubble. --- "To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?" 
says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, --- 
Who brings out their host by number; --- He calls them all by name, by the greatness of 
His might And the strength of His power; --- Not one is missing. Why do you say, O 
Jacob, And speak, O Israel: "My way is hidden from the LORD, And my just claim is 
passed over by my God?" 

   "Comfort, yes, comfort My people!" Says your God. --- Though many reading this are
physically and spiritually youthful, we all tend to get a little tired from time to time. --- 
Some of God's saints are just worn out; --- physically and spiritually. And sometimes I 
wonder if some of us are not suffering from spiritual "hardening of the arteries; --- and
they're suffering from spiritual dullness and spiritual deadness!!  But we're not to lose 
heart; --- "Though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day 
by day." (2 Cor. 4:16)

   There is to be a strong medicine and a good medicine for tired souls. --- There is to be 
a soul's "fountain of youth"! --- And so let's look back into the Old Testament book of
Isaiah and continue in our Scripture reading; --- (Isa. 40:28f); --- "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. --- (That is, God never gets tired!) ---His understanding 
is unsearchable. --- (There's nothing beyond God's great wisdom!) ---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, --- " 
   You know, youth is a wonderful thing. And the only thing wrong with youth, is that I 
don't have all the energy and vitality that some of you younger folks have! --- But let me 
remind you, even young people get tired. --- If I were to ask you to get down and give 
me some push-ups; --- Well, to show off, I'm sure some of you could just have little 
trouble at all knocking out 20, 30 or 40 push-ups, but sooner or later you're going to get 
plumb tuckered out. Because I don't care how young and energetic you might think you 
are, --- there's an end to your strength, --- if you depend on the strength of the flesh!! 

   And that's why he's saying here; --- "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. 

And so we need to look closely at this passage of Scripture with joy and thanksgiving; ---
Because it prescribes:  "Strong Medicine For Tired Saints"!!

                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. RECOGNIZE RESOURCES:

   Sometimes we fail to recognize our God given resources. --- We fail to understand 
that the heavenly Father does not want us to function in and rely on the strength of the
flesh. --- but rather He wants us to exchange our weakness for His mighty power!!

   Why is it that so many of us are so nervous and up-tight, so high-strung?? --- I've been
told that the monkeys at the zoo have to be given tranquilizers from watching us people.
   Don't know how true that is, but seriously, we are a high-strung nation of people; ---
We pop pills and tranquilizers like they were salted peanuts! --- We're just so tense; ---
and we say; --- "If I can just hang on one more day!"

   It's like the man who was walking by a sea-side cliff one very dark night. --- He 
thought he knew the pathway well, but somehow he mis-judged and stepped right over 
the edge. --- He began falling to what he thought was a certain death on the jagged 
rocks below; --- but he managed to catch on to an overhanging branch in the dark; ---
and he held on for dear life, his feet dangling beneath him; --- and he screamed at the 
top of his voice, above the roar of the waves; --- HELP ME!! --- But no one could hear;
and he held on in desperation as his arms ached and his hands grew clammy; --- And he
finally says; --- "There's nothing else I can do, --- I PERISH!" --- And his fingers lost
their grip and he slipped and fell; --- SIX INCHES!! --- To a solid rock ledge he had not
been able to see.

   Again, I don't know how true this story is; --- But I'm sure there's a lot out there who
are holding on with all your might, which isn't much might. --- And what they need to do, 
is NOT hold on, but let go and rest in the everlasting arms of the God of heaven!! --- 
You need to exchange your weakness for His strength. --- In the KJV, (Vs. 31) reads; ---
"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;" --- And the word 
"renew" literally means "change" or "exchange". --- Remember this; --- "They shall
'exchange' their strength." --- It's not that God adds His strength to your strength; ---
But that God literally exchanges for your weakness, His strength!!

   That's why Paul says; --- "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in 
needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am 
strong." (2 Cor. 12:10) --- Paul learned to "Wait upon the Lord"!!
            --- What does this mean; --- "Wait upon the Lord"? ---

                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2. WAIT UPON THE LORD:

   First, it does NOT mean inactivity! --- (Do nothing --- twiddle thumbs)! --- So many
times we get to thinking that when we're waiting for somebody, that we just twiddle
our thumbs until they decide to come running. --- Well, that's certainly not the term 
used here. --- It means "waiting" on someone like you would expect a good waiter to
do in a fine restaurant!! --- That's the idea of what it means to "wait upon the Lord"! 
Therefore, we are to wait upon the Lord PRAYERFULLY! 

   You see, many times we come to some challenge of our strength and we're not able to
cope with it; --- So we come running to the Lord with one of these little "hurry up " 
prayers and it just doesn't seem to get through. --- And WHY don't they get through? ---
Because we have not learned to get along in the quiet times, quiet places, the secret 
places and "Wait upon the Lord" in reverence!!

   A lady in Florida once wrote to the editor of a Miami newspaper (after a hurricane).
She wrote; --- "There's something I want to ask; --- All these Christians keep saying
how God answers prayer! --- I'm not a Christian and don't ever plan on being one; ---
but I prayed that God would not let that hurricane damage my property, and you 
should see the mess that's around here! --- Now IF there's a God, why didn't He answer
my prayer?" --- The editor wrote back and said; --- "It beats me lady, unless He's just 
too busy taking care of His regular customers!"

   Now ain't that the way lots of people do? --- They want to come running hurriedly to 
the Lord, like all they have to do is, just snap their fingers and God will come running!!
NO, dear friend, that's not how it works! --- And that's not how God works!!

   We need to learn how to wait upon the Lord; --- To spend time in quietness and pray
in faith, not doubting!!   Did you know the Bible says we are to study to be quiet? ---
(1 Thess. 4:11 KJV); --- "And that you study to be quiet, and to do your own business, 
and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;"

   "Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength." --- So it means to wait 
prayerfully! --- But it also means to wait EXPECTANTLY!

   This word "wait" literally means to "expect". --- That is, you anticipate something 
and KNOW it's going to happen. --- It's like the word "hope" in the Bible. --- The word
"hope" in the Bible does NOT mean; --- "I don't know whether or not it will happen, but 
I wish it would!" --- Not at all! --- What it does mean; --- "I KNOW it's going to happen 
and I can hardly wait for it to get here!" --- And that's why the Bible refers to the 
second coming of our Lord as; --- "looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of 
the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus." (Titus 2:13)

   But not only are we to wait upon the Lord prayerfully and expectantly, --- but to wait
ATTENTIVELY!!

   Let the Lord speak to you; --- beacon you! --- Harken unto Him!! --- Have you ever 
had a waiter in some restaurant and you just couldn't get him to come bring you some 
more coffee, or there wasn't any salt or pepper on the table; --- you stare and wave 
your hand, but the waiter simply will not pay attention!! --- Well, let me ask you a 
question; --- Does God sometimes have difficulty catching your eye? --- I mean, could 
God be trying to say something to you?? 

   But really; --- it's not that God is not speaking; --- HE HAS SPOKEN!! --- But the fact
is; --- The problem is that ; --- sometimes we are NOT HEARING!! --- Jesus said; ---
"You have ears, but you don't hear, --- You have eyes, but you don't see!" --- You have
the right equipment, but you refuse to use it! WHY? -- Because your heart is hardened.

   To wait upon the Lord means to wait attentively; --- And to wait OBEDIENTLY!!
Willing to do whatever the Lord wants us to do! --- His will be done, not mine!

   I may want my hand to do something for me! --- Now, though my hand is a member of 
my body, --- I don't want my hand to wake me up in the morning and say; --- "Good 
morning, Earl!" --- "Today I'm going to write some letters for you, but before I do that,
I'm going to shave you!" --- No! Uh Uh! --- I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want
a hand like that shaving me!! --- I just want it to be there, and when I'm ready to write 
a letter, I expect it to wait on me. --- I want it there, ready to move at the impulse of the 
head! --- My mind speaks, the hand obeys! --- Make sense??

   WE are the body of Christ! --- He is the head and we are the members. --- We are to 
simply acknowledge our "orders" (Scripture) from the Head; --- And let the Lord speak
to the hand, the foot, the eye, the ear and we are to OBEY!! --- And that's what it means
to wait upon the Lord!

   The Lord Himself warns; (Mt. 7:21-23) --- "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, 
Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does (obeys) the will of My Father
 in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in 
Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' ---
 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice 
lawlessness!"

   But that's not all; --- We're to wait upon the Lord PATIENTLY!! --- So many times we
run into that old problem; --- "Lack-O-Patience"! --- (My own toes are aching, here)!

   Our forefathers used to get upset a little if they missed the stagecoach and they'd say;
"Oh well, there'll be another one come along in a week or two!" --- We get uptight if we
catch a traffic light; --- not to mention one of those long, slow moving freight trains! ---
We're like the fellow who prayed; ---"Lord, give me patience; --- Right now!!"

   Actually, you'd better be careful if you pray for patience! The Bible says; --- 
"tribulation bring about perseverance, (KJV patience)" (Rom. 5:3) --- Because God
just might say; --- "Alright, if that's what you want, I'll give you a little tribulation to
make you more patient!" --- Tribulation brings about patience, but we're to wait upon
the Lord, patiently! --- We don't just jump up and start doing things even if it's wrong;
(outside God's prescribed order), or we'll end up in a worse mess than we were in the 
beginning. --- Did you ever consider the idea that in answering prayer, --- that God's 
delays may not necessarily be denials?

   The Old Testament prophet, Habakkuk prayed to God and in (Hab. 2:1-3); 
Habakkuk says; --- " I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch 
to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected. --- Then the 
LORD answered me and said: --- "Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, that 
he may run who reads it. For the vision (Answer to prayer) is yet for an appointed time; 
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, --- wait for it; Because 
it will surely come, It will not tarry."

   Friends; --- God may be waiting on you, --- to wait on Him!! --- Learn to wait on Him
prayerfully, expectantly, obediently and patiently. --- WAIT, I say; --- On the Lord!!
"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength!" 

                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3. RENEW STRENGTH:

   What kind of strength is this, that God promised?? --- Actually it would be a three
dimensional strength. --- Look at the Scripture again, all you tired and weary saints; ---
(Isa. 40:31 KJV), ---"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew (Remember, this word,
"renew" means exchange), shall "exchange"their strength."; --- They shall (1) mount 
up with wings like eagles, (2) They shall run and not be weary, (3) They shall walk and
not faint!" --- Three dimensional strength; --- To fly, To run and To walk! --- And we're
not to look at this in descending order.

   If we look at it by human terms, human inspiration; --- We would have reasoned, 
"Well, God will strengthen us to WALK; --- Then when we've learned to walk, He'll
give us strength to RUN! --- And then ultimately the strength to FLY!!

   But, dear friends; --- God knows what He's doing; --- WALKING is the climax of the
whole thing, as we will see. --- First of all, God says we're to "Mount up with wings as 
eagles." --- We're going to learn soar like the eagles do!

   Have you ever thought about the nature of an eagle? --- The mighty eagle is no earthy
bird. --- He doesn't like mud, filth and dirt. --- The eagle is not a chicken; --- He's not
made to scratch in the ground for worms like a common barnyard fowl!! --- The eagle
is a heavenly bird, --- And this is what this passage in Isaiah is talking about!!

   I believe a good New Testament reference to this would be found in (Col. 3:1-2), where
Paul says; --- "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, 
where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on 
things on the earth." 

   One time I watched one of those wildlife programs on TV where they showed how 
this beautiful Golden eagle had been caught in some sort of animal trap (a snare). ---
They estimated that he had been held fast to the ground in that trap for several weeks.
And some wildlife people found that old bird, doctored him up, healed his wounds, 
nursed him back to health and finally set him free. --- He let out a screech of victory and
away he flew; --- Free at last from his chains and captivity!!

   You know, that's a picture of what Jesus Christ wants for those of you who have been
wounded by sin; --- caught up in the snare of Satan; --- and chained by temptation!! ---
But that's not where you belong. --- Jesus Christ wants to set you free!! -- And if the Son
makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (Jn. 8:36) --- He wants you to mount up with 
wings like eagles!!

                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4. FLY AS AN EAGLE:

   Have you ever studied in the Bible about how the eagle teaches her little ones to fly?
Turn to (Deut. 32:); ---Now this shows how god helped His ancient people, Israel through
the howling wilderness. --- Beginning with (Vs. 9f); --- "For the Lord's portion is His 
people; --- Jacob (Or Israel) is the place of His inheritance. He found him (That is, God 
found Israel) in a desert land And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; --- (Now 
watch this) He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. ---
As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them 
up, carrying them on its wings,"

   Now what was Moses talking about here? --- You see; --- The eagle builds it's nest of
sticks and briars, but then she covers the insides with soft downy feathers and whatever 
she can find to make the nest soft, warm and comfortable. --- And then one or two eggs
are laid and hatched in that nest. --- But there comes a time when that little eaglet, way 
up there in that tall, tall tree, or on that rocky mountain ledge must learn to fly. --- And
do you know what that mother eagle does? ---Why she swoops in and just starts tearing
up that nest, --- I mean she literally stirs the nest! --- Out goes the fur, out goes the soft
downs and even the thorny sticks. --- And then to make matters worse she takes her 
wings and starts to beat on that little eaglet. --- And this little eaglet just can't seem to
understand all this hostility. --- This nest had always been so warm and cozy, and now 
this? --- Those wings, why he had always rested in the shelter of them! --- And now, 
those wings that have always been his protectors, seemed to be his enemy!! 
   And finally the little bird just can't take it anymore and says; --- "I'm out of here!!" ---
So he leaps out of that nest and starts falling and flapping his little wings like crazy, ---
this way and that and keeps falling and falling; --- And this is just what mama eagle 
wants, you see. --- And just at the right time she swoops under him and catches him on 
the back of her powerful wings! --- And then she starts flying up and up and up, so high
that it's dizzying; --- And at the right moment, she gives a lurch and swoops out from 
under that poor little eaglet. --- And there he goes again, falling and flapping, crying and
screaming down, down, down to the jagged rocks below;  --- But just as before, the 
mama eagle swoops under her little one and up, up ,up, and down, down, down!! --- But
after a while he discovers he's got wings and he too can fly and soar!! --- And that's what 
this Scripture is talking about; --- "As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, 
spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings,"

   Why have you had difficulties? --- Why have you had problems? --- Could it be that the
Lord is trying to teach you to fly? --- Perhaps He could be stirring up your nest a little!!
   You cry out; --- "O, I want to safely abide in the shelter of His wings!!" --- And the 
Lord's reply; --- "Behold, I want you to use your own; --- I want you to take the same 
strength that I have and let it be yours!" ---"They that wait upon the Lord shall exchange
their strength!" --- God does not get tired, and He wishes for you to have that same kind 
of strength, so that you can mount up with wings like an eagle!! --- He wants you to learn 
how to fly!!

   Someone might say, "That's impossible!" --- Don't know if it's still there, but years ago
there was a sign which hung in the General Motors plant that read; --- "According to the
theory of aero-dynamics, as can readily be proven in our wind tunnel experiments, the
Bumble bee is unable to fly. --- This is because the size of it's wings in relation to the size 
of it's body, makes flying impossible." --- But the Bumble bee, being unacquainted with 
these scientific truths, --- Goes ahead and flies anyway; --- And gathers a little honey 
along the way!!

   Now there's plenty of people who will tell you the same thing; ---"There's no such thing 
as a life of faithfulness and strength in the Lord!" --- But I want to tell you my friend, 
there IS! --- And don't you let somebody come along with some high sounding theory and
tell you that you can't fly!! --- Because, when you learn to wait upon the Lord prayerfully,
and you learn to wait upon Him obediently, expectantly, attentively and patiently, you are
going to discover that God truly does want you to fly!! --- You're going to set your 
affections on things above; --- And you're going to become like an eagle, with the eagle's
nature!!

   But not only does the Lord want you to FLY; --- But He also wants to give you the 
strength to; ---

                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5. RUN AND NOT GROW WEARY:

   Not only are we to soar in the heavenly places in Christ; --- But there are the earthly
places that we're to RUN the race that is set before us. --- O, I don't know what your
course is in this life my friend; --- But the Bible says, (1 Cor. 9:24); ---"That you are to 
run the race in such a way that you may win." --- "That you are to finish the course that
has been set before you; --- Looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith"!!

   That means that Jesus Christ is the goal toward which you run; --- Jesus Christ is the
one who fires the gun to start the race. --- But not only is Christ the author of the race,
and the one to whom you run; --- But Jesus Christ is the one through whom you run!!
   The Lord is the strength of the race; --- And it is He who gives you strength to run and
not grow weary!!

   Please notice with me in (Heb. 12:1-3), --- The Hebrew writer having just given an 
abundant example of faithful men and women of strength such as, Able, Noah, Abraham
and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Rahab and many others had this to say; --- "Therefore 
we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every 
weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race 
that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the 
joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at 
the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from 
sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls."

   Now, not only are we supposed to FLY, --- And not only are we supposed to RUN; ---
But dear ones, the zenith, the ultimate attainment is to; ---

                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

6. WALK AND NOT GROW FAINT:

   Have you ever thought that this is the one thing God wants out of us more than 
anything else? --- This is service to God in shoe leather! --- It is the day-by-day faithful,
godly Christians that make the Lord's church pleasing to the heart of God!! --- We are
to WALK and keep on, keeping on!

   Oh! It's easy to attend a good gospel meeting, get all "pumped up" and soar like an 
eagle! --- It's easy to stand in the pulpit, preach a sermon and run like an athlete!! ---
   But do you want me to tell you the REAL test of my faith? --- Come to my home and
see how I act around my wife and children! --- Follow me around on my job to see how 
I work around those of the world around me! --- Examine my personal devotion, listen in
on my private prayers and notice my Bible study habits! --- How I handle my finances; --- 
I mean, you listen to the words of my mouth as I plod along day-by-day; --- And if you 
see that I can WALK and not faint, --- I'm real!!

   There's lots of those who can soar like an eagle and run like lightning; --- But when it 
comes right down to it, they just can't seem to walk like a Christian, day-by day- by day,
keeping on walking in the Lord Jesus and the light of His word!! ---This is the highest, ---
This is the best!!

   And how can you obtain this level of spiritual strength?? --- Just do like Peter did; ---
Keep your eye on the Lord, Jesus, depend daily on Him and OBEY His blessed will!!

   Did you know that sometimes, it's easier to depend on God's strength for big things,
than it is for little things?? --- OH! My friend, it's those little things which spot our soul!!
   It's the "mosquitoes" that we fight; --- the little things in our daily walk of life!! ---
It's that guy that rides your bumper, or blinds you with his glaring bright lights at night!
It's that person who says a cutting word that you can't take! --- It's that time when you 
worry whether or not you'll be able to meet all this months bills (especially if I give back
a portion to the Lord, which belongs to Him)!!

   Most of us are quite content in asking God to help us overcome the big temptations!!
Why is it so difficult to imagine that with His strength we can conquer the little things as
well??

   Can you WALK and not faint? --- You most certainly can IF you learn to wait upon
the Lord!! --- The Great Physician gives strong medicine for tired saints!!!

              "The great Physician now is near, --- The sympathizing Jesus;
                 He speaks the drooping heart to cheer, --- O, hear the voice of Jesus.

                 Your many sins are all forgiv'n, --- O, hear the voice of Jesus;
                 Go on your way to peace to heav'n, --- And wear a crown with Jesus.

                 All glory to the dying Lamb! --- I now believe in Jesus;
                 I love the blessed Savior's name, --- I love the name of Jesus.

   Chorus: Sweetest note in seraph song, --- Sweetest name on mortal tongue;
                 Sweetest carol ever song, --- Jesus, blessed Jesus.

                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

    In a children's Bible class, the teacher asked; --- "Is there anything God can not do?" 
 One little girl raised her hand and said, ---"I know one thing He can't do; --- He can't 
see our sins through the blood of Jesus!"

(Col. 1:9-11); Paul relates my sentiments; ---  "For this reason we also, since the day we 
heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the 
knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; --- that you may walk 
worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing 
in the knowledge of God; --- strengthened with all might, according to His glorious 
power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;" --- 
                                                                                                                  Earl Wilburn

Any questions or comments, welcomed: ewilburn@austin.rr.com