Those Who Hope in the Lord Will Renew Their Strength - Isaiah 40:31 - Finishing Well - Part II

Isaiah 40:31 says, "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." We have been in a series called, “Pursuing Wisdom.” We learned from Solomon’s life that it doesn’t matter how much wisdom you have if you don’t apply it. We also learned from Solomon’s life that it doesn’t matter how well you start. It matters how you finish.

As I looked for verses dealing with running the race, I found one about finishing well. I think this is the clearest place in Scripture telling us how to do so: "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" (Isaiah 40:30-31).

So those who wait on the Lord will be able to finish well, b/c they’ll have the strength they need; they’ll be able to run and not grow weary. How does this happen? It says by waiting on the Lord.

The Hebrew word for wait is qavah and it means: “to look for, hope, expect.” It also means “to bind together,” as though our attention is bound to Him.

Waiting on the Lord means looking to Him, hoping in Him, and keeping our attention fixed on him.
• This isn’t a passive waiting that sits around with nothing to do.
• Instead it’s an active waiting.

Imagine we’re good waiters standing by the side of the table:
• We wait to see how best to serve
• We don’t give instructions. We wait for instructions.
• We do our best to please and satisfy and get what they want when they want it.
• They’re always right. We don’t argue and correct.
• We don’t say what we’re going to do.
• Instead, we wait to see what we’re supposed to do.

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00:00 Sermon: Those Who Hope in the Lord Will Renew Their Strength - Isaiah 40:31 - Finishing Well - Part II

03:42 Lesson 1: These kings reveal it’s hard to finish well:
• Example 1: Solomon (1 Kings 11:4, Job 12:12).
• Example 2: Saul (1 Samuel 31).
• Example 3: Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:12-19).
• Example 4: Asa (2 Chronicles 14:8-15, 16:1-12).

04:07 • Example 5: __________ (2 Chronicles 24).

12:47 Lesson 2: ____________ is ______________ in the truth we’ve learned (2 Chronicles 24:22).

17:36 • Example 6: ____________ (2 Chronicles 26).

24:27 Lesson 3: wisdom keeps us from pride, which __________ to ____________________ (2 Chronicles 26:16-21, Proverbs 11:2, 16:18, 18:12).

42:28 Lesson 4: finish well by _______________ on the ________ (1 Corinthians 9:24-26, Acts 20:24, 2 Timothy 4:7, Galatians 5:7, Isaiah 40:30-31).

Family Worship Guide for Those Who Hope in the Lord Will Renew Their Strength - Isaiah 40:31 - Finishing Well - Part II

Day 1: Read 2 Chronicles 24 and discuss: why do you think Joash finished so poorly after starting so well? What can we learn from his life? What truth did he learn that he failed to walk in, or failed to apply to his life (remember wisdom is applying truth/knowledge)? How did God graciously reach out to Joash? How did Joash respond?

Day 2: Read 2 Chronicles 26 and discuss: why do you think Uzziah finished so poorly after starting so well? What can we learn from him? How did God graciously reach out to Uzziah? How did he respond? How does wisdom keep us from pride? Why does pride lead to destruction?

Day 3: Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-26, Acts 20:24, 2 Timothy 4:7, Galatians 5:7, Isaiah 40:30-31and discuss: why is the Christian life compared to a race? Can you think of other verses that make this comparison? What causes us to be faint or weary as we run the race? What does it mean to wait on the Lord? How does waiting on the Lord renew our strength?