Isaiah 40:28-31 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but 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.”

I looked up the word “tired” in my dictionary and found that it implies a draining of one's strength or patience.  “Tired” is what we are at the end of the day after we have worked, even at things we enjoy. Or we get tired when we have to wait in a long line. A good night's rest or the end of waiting can eliminate the feeling of being tired.

My husband gets tired after working in the garden all day - his favorite thing! At the end of the day, he can shower and rest and he’s ready to go again. When we finally get to the end of that line, we have completed a chore, and regardless of how frustrating the waiting was, we can move on to the next task and sometimes even get a "second wind."

I'm glad to know that God doesn't get physically tired. He doesn't even need to sleep. Psalm 121: 3, 4 He will not let your foot slip - He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

This verse tells us God doesn't sleep and he doesn't slumber. I looked this word up also. It means "doze." God doesn't even nap. But the verse is even clearer. He isn't just awake. He is watching over us. He is awake, watching over us and will not let our foot slip. Nothing can touch us by accident because God was napping or looking the other way. What an amazing thought!

Then I checked the definition of the word “weary.” The dictionary says “weary” means "tiring until one is unable to endure more of the same thing." We can be weary after a good night’s sleep. Just knowing what faces us in our day can make us weary.

When I think of being weary, the example that comes to mind is sitting at the hospital. I remember when my mother was dying in the hospital. I would travel from Tyler to Houston to sit with her. As I would get closer to the Houston city limits, I could feel my spirits dragging down. As I pulled into the hospital parking lot, I felt an actual weight in my heart. By the time I walked into her room, I was already weary, knowing what was waiting for me. Wild horses could not have kept me away, but by the time I left, I truly felt that I couldn’t "endure more of the same thing." I was weary in soul and spirit. And this lasted for several weeks. I know people who have faced this situation for years.

I think we also grow weary when we are working at something that appears hopeless. A difficult relationship. Or paying off a debt that seems to never shrink. Or any situation where we continue to put forth an effort and nothing ever seems to change.

Our scripture mentions that even young people get tired and weary. Even those whom we think are strong will stumble and fall. Everyone gets tired at some time. We all need rest and refreshment. Even young people need that!

It’s interesting to note that the prophet Isaiah gives us a glimpse of God before he tells us that God does not grow tired or weary. This is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. God doesn't ever wear out. Not with the universe that He keeps in motion. Not with His children.

I am also grateful to see that God doesn't get mentally tired. The next part of the verse tells us that His understanding no one can fathom. Have you ever been so tired that you just can't think? Or so tired that when someone speaks you can't understand them? God doesn't get tired like that. His understanding continues from everlasting to everlasting.

So there is a promise for us. If we hope in the Lord, then our strength will be renewed. God knows that we become tired and weary. He also knows that we want to give up and stop trying. Sometimes it would feel good to just lie down and quit.

But if we continue to trust in the Lord, not only can we get our strength back, not only can we walk and run, He tells us that we can soar on wings like eagles.

I am glad to know that God can't get tired; that He doesn't sleep; that He is always watching over me and loving me. And I am thankful to know that God will lift me up when I am tired and weary; that He will help me to soar over my circumstances on eagle’s wings.