A Promise for Every Season

by Pastor James Ryle

“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

This passage of scripture has held our focus for the past few days. There is much to be found in its brief words, and I trust that our thoughts upon the matter have been more than helpful to you in your journey with Jesus.

One of may favorite things to do when studying a passage of scripture like this, is to delve deeply into the rich meaning of the Hebrew words (or Greek, for the New Testament), and then weave those definitions and insights into what I call a pastoral paraphrase.

I have done that with this verse, and here is what I now offer to you as “a promise for every season.”


“Those who bind together with the Lord, who intertwine with Him like strands in a rope, will experience the great exchange. They will find their weakness exchanged for His power; their unsteadiness exchanged for His firm resolve; their fatigue exchanged for his vigor and valor; and so on, and so on, and so on.

“They will discover that their inabilities have been exchanged for an increased capacity to produce whatever is needed in any given situation, with results that are always significant and fulfilling. They shall ascend to a higher place, and be active in effective ways.

“They shall move with speed and determination, without gasping in exhaustion, or tiring of the toil. They shall move with steady resolve along a path of purpose, not being depleted of energy, nor void of hope.”