Wings Like Eagles for the Worn-Out

from Isaiah 40:27-31

The day had been too long.
Your legs ache,
your eyes want to close,
and you cannot lift your own two feet.

You tried, and tried,
and nobody seemed to see.
And something deep inside you whispered,
God has forgotten me.
God doesn't see how hard this is.

God's people felt that way too,
worn out and far from home,
sure that he had turned and looked away.

So God answered them,
gentle as a hand smoothing your hair.

Haven't you heard?
Don't you know me yet?
I am the One who made the stars.
I call each one by name.
Not one of them goes missing.
Not one of you, either.

Long before, on the very first nights of the world,
God had hung those stars in the dark himself,
and he had not lost a single one since.

I do not grow tired.
I never need to rest.
There is no end
to how strong I am.
No end
to how long I will love you.

Even the fastest runners fall.
Even the strongest grow weak.
Even children, full of bounce and go,
flop down in the grass with no go left.

But God does not run out.
He pours his never-tired strength
into small, tired hands.

The ones who wait for me,
he said,
I will make them new.
They will rise up
on wings like eagles,
high and wide and free.
They will run
and not grow weary.
They will walk
and never give out.

Wait for me.
Lean on me.
Bring me your heavy, dragging feet.

It was a promise. And it was true.
But God meant to keep it
in a way they could not yet see.

Because one day,
the God who never tires
would walk on tired feet himself,
down long dusty roads,
with a heavy load to carry.

And to everyone worn out,
to everyone who ever whispered
I can't take one more step,
he would open his arms and say:

Come to me,
all of you who are weary.
Come. And I will give you rest.

That is Jesus,
the strong One who carries you
when you cannot carry yourself.

So when your feet are heavy
and the day was far too long,
you do not have to be strong all alone.
Lean on him.
He is never tired,
and he will lift you
the way the wind lifts an eagle,
higher than you could ever climb on your own.