Reading Isaiah 40:31, the somewhat saccharine chorus to “On Eagle’s Wings” might come to your mind (no judgment, I love it, too). But I also can’t read these words of Scripture without hearing them in a Scottish brogue. As a track athlete in college, my favorite scene in the movie “Chariots of Fire” was of Eric Liddell, Scotland’s Fastest Man, reading Isaiah 40:31 from the pulpit before running and winning the 400 meters in the 1924 Olympic Games. These are the motivational words everyone needs ringing in their ears: Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted;
But those who wait for 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. But Scripture comes to us in different seasons of our lives and resonates with different needs. As I read this passage today, I note its theme of weariness, of exhaustion, of God’s people falling faint. As 2023 came to a close, I couldn’t maintain my usual morning routine: wake up at 5:30 am, grab a cup of coffee, start writing. My body craved more sleep; my circadian rhythm telling me to hibernate in the shorter, darker days of winter. But I’d also had an exhausting few months of work, full of travel, speaking engagements, and pressing deadlines. Isaiah’s words are meant to inspire a beleaguered people in exile. When I travel, I come home exhausted after a week. The Israelites lived in exile for almost 50 years; then came home to foreign rulers. We don’t realize the importance of being settled and secure, of having a place to call “home,” to our physical, mental and spiritual well-being — until we go without. ... Read the rest of the commentary on the website. | 
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