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Paul's autobiography in 2 Corinthians 11 includes beatings, stonings, shipwrecks, sleepless nights, hunger, and "the care of all the churches" — and then he adds: "Who is weak, and I am not weak?" (v.29). Paul was not immune to weakness. He was not modeling impervious endurance. He was describing a man who felt the weight of everything on the list and was held by something outside himself. His strength in ministry was not native to him. It came from the same source he pointed others toward.
Get These Verses Daily — Free“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.”
The context is explicit: even the young and strong fall. This promise addresses people who have genuinely run out of energy, not those managing well. The Hebrew chalaf — 'renew' — means to exchange, to replace one thing with another. God exchanges their depletion for his strength.
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
The Greek egkakomein — 'be weary' — means to lose heart from exhaustion. Paul is writing to people who are already weary — the exhortation is for them, not for people who feel fine. The harvest is promised but tied to continuing through the exhaustion.
“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;”
The Greek ekkakoumen — 'faint not' — means we do not give up, we do not lose heart. Paul grounds his perseverance not in his own resilience but in mercy received. Ministry sustained by mercy received is different from ministry sustained by personal endurance.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
The Greek kopiao — 'labour' — means to work to the point of exhaustion. This invitation is specifically to those who have nothing left. The rest Jesus promises is not a sabbatical — it is yoke-sharing, where his strength supplements what you cannot produce on your own.
“And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.”
The people's exhaustion mid-project is recorded honestly — and Nehemiah reorganized the work rather than rebuking the workers. Ministry exhaustion often requires structural reorganization, not just spiritual encouragement. God uses both.
Isaiah 40:31 is often quoted as a general encouragement, but its context is specific: it follows a diagnosis of Israel's condition — "The LORD... is not weary" (v.28), followed by the observation that "the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall" (v.30). Even the young and strong will collapse. The promise of renewed strength is explicitly addressed to that reality — not to those who have managed their energy well, but to those who have genuinely run out. "They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength" — wait, not perform.
Galatians 6:9 contains both a warning and a promise: "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." The Greek egkakomein — "be weary" — means to lose heart, to give up from exhaustion. Paul is writing to people who are already weary. The promise of a harvest in due season is specifically attached to not fainting — which implies the temptation to faint is real and pressing.
Commentary is from a charismatic Protestant perspective, drawing on KJV text and public-domain sources including Spurgeon, Andrew Murray, and Matthew Henry.
Nehemiah 4:10 records the people's complaint partway through the wall's rebuilding: "The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall." Nehemiah did not dismiss this. He reorganized the work, assigned guards, and ensured people could continue. Ministry exhaustion often requires the same response: reorganization of the work structure, not a rebuke of the workers.
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