Strength for the waiting
Isaiah wrote to exiles who felt forgotten, far from home and tired of waiting. His first words to them were “Comfort, comfort my people.” The promise of strength comes into a story of weariness.
Notice the order: soar, run, walk. The hardest and most common one is last. God often renews us not with a sudden flight, but with the strength to keep walking without fainting.
Father, I am tired of waiting. Teach me to hope in You, and give me strength for the next step, even if it is only a walk. Amen.
קָוָה (qavah (kah-VAH)). The word behind “hope” or “wait.” It is connected to the idea of a cord or rope that is twisted together, so hope here is not a wish but a strong tie to God.
Isaiah 40 begins the second part of the book, written to people in or heading toward the Babylonian exile in the sixth century BC. It is a chapter of comfort that speaks of God’s greatness and care.
Joshua and Hannah Marshman and William Ward arrived in India to join William Carey. Together the three, known as the Serampore Trio, built a mission that translated the Bible and founded schools and a college.