12/14/2025 – “They go from strength to strength.” Psalm 84:7
“Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they 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.” Isaiah 40: 30 – 31
“They go from strength to strength. There are various renderings of these words, but all of them contain the idea of progress.
Our own good translation of the authorized version is enough for us this morning. “They go from strength to strength.” That is, they grow stronger and stronger. Usually, if we are walking, we go from strength to weakness; we start fresh and in good order for our journey, but by-and-by the road is rough, and the sun is hot, we sit down by the wayside, and then again painfully pursue our weary way. But the Christian pilgrim having obtained fresh supplies of grace, is as vigorous after years of toilsome travel and struggle as when he first set out. He may not be quite so elate and buoyant, nor perhaps quite so hot and hasty in his zeal as he once was, but he is much stronger in all that constitutes real power, and travels, if more slowly, far more surely. Some gray-haired veterans have been as firm in their grasp of truth, and as zealous in diffusing it, as they were in their younger days; but, alas, it must be confessed it is often otherwise, for the love of many waxes cold and iniquity abounds, but this is their own sin and not the fault of the promise which still holds good: “The youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but 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, and they shall walk and not faint.” Fretful spirits sit down and trouble themselves about the future. “Alas!” say they, “we go from affliction to affliction.” Very true, O thou of little faith, but then thou goest from strength to strength also. Thou shalt never find a bundle of affliction which has not bound up in the midst of it sufficient grace. God will give the strength of ripe manhood with the burden allotted to full-grown shoulders.”
Comment:
I’ve just been checking out the Amplified Translation lately:
31 But those who wait for the LORD who expect, look for, and hope in Him
Will (C1)gain new strength and renew their power;
They will (C2)lift up their wings and rise up close to God like eagles rising toward the sun;
They will run and not become weary,
They will walk and not grow tired. (Isaiah 40: 30 – 31)
They (C1)go from strength to strength increasing in victorious power;
Each of them (C2)appears before God in Zion. (Psalm 84:7)
- Psalm 84:7 in particular – Whoa! In both cases, I’m reflecting that the meaning isn’t changed , it is just “amplified”. Well, I expect just a momentary glimpse at heaven, like John and Paul experienced, would amplify it considerably more, beyond the limit even of infallible words, to use a worldly expression: “Ya just had to be there!” And even when we are there, we will never be able to fully capture our sublime awesome LORD. Just praise Him forevermore with a constant overwhelming flow of joyful awe and wonder!
Soli Deo Gloria!