Today’s reading came from a time when the Israelites were returning to their ruined land after decades in exile. There were no non-stop Babylon to Jerusalem flights—the text’s references to “stumbling” and “walking” reflected the only way the exiles got home. So the Israelites were weary, and feared God had left them. But the prophet Isaiah said God never forgets his own (verse 28). Those who cling to hope in God, he promised, “will renew their strength; they will fly up on wings like eagles.”

• Isaiah addressed the jaded, cynical complaint of an Israelite returning from exile: “My God ignores my predicament” (verse 27). In what parts of your life are you struggling with a sense that God isn’t interested in your concerns? What steps did the prophet say can bring you renewed hope and strength?
• Isaiah wrote, “His understanding is beyond human reach” (verse 28). Our need to control, our challenge with “letting go,” can keep us stuck in the very problems we seek to escape. God calls us to “let go” and trust him because “his understanding is beyond human reach.” How can trusting, really trusting, in a God who’s vastly wiser than you are renew your strength by setting you free from the need to know all the answers?