When Exhaustion Meets the Everlasting God
Isaiah 40:12-31 arrives as a breath of fresh air to people drowning in despair. Written in advance for Israelites in Babylonian exile, this passage speaks directly to anyone feeling forgotten by God, overwhelmed by circumstances, or simply worn out from waiting.
Isaiah begins with stunning questions: Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand? Who has weighed the mountains? These aren't questions seeking answers—they're rhetorical reminders of God's incomparable greatness. When our problems loom large, Isaiah forces us to recalibrate our perspective: Is God really too small to handle what we're facing?
Isaiah then confronts our functional idols—those things we turn to for security instead of God. Whether ancient carved images or modern substitutes like success, control, or comfort, the prophet declares them all foolish and futile. The nations themselves are like "a drop in a bucket" compared to God's power.
But the heart of this passage addresses our weariness. "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall," Isaiah acknowledges. Physical, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion affect us all at times. Yet God "will not grow tired or weary"
The famous promise in verse 31 offers hope: those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. The Hebrew word translated "renew" means to exchange—like changing clothes, we trade our weakness for God's strength. We become like eagles, soaring above our circumstances not through our own power, but by remembering God's past faithfulness.
Waiting isn't passive resignation—it's active trust that remembers who God is. And we need each other to keep remembering when exhaustion clouds our vision.
When we wait expectantly, we:
Recall God’s character and His faithfulness to us and fix our eyes on Jesus
Exchange our exhaustion for His fresh strength
Trust that the everlasting God never tires of loving and redeeming us in Christ
You aren’t forgotten—your Big God is with you, right now.
Opportunities to Serve
(For Opportunities to Serve at High Pointe, click HERE)
Volunteering in nursery or children’s ministry is a great way to get to know others at High Pointe and to serve our parents on Sunday mornings and other church gatherings. Reach out to Erin at erin@highpointeaustin.org.
God has blessed each of us with unique gifts and talents, and at High Pointe, we believe serving is how we use those gifts to bless others and advance His kingdom.
Whether you have 30 minutes a week or several hours, there's a place for you to serve in our children's ministry, as greeters, with the hospitality team, media/tech support, building and grounds, safety, community outreach efforts, and through administrative support. Reach out to find out more today: info@highpointeaustin.org.
Resources of the Week
Life at High Pointe
Family Christmas Singalong | This Sunday, November 30 at 5PM
Join us at High Pointe on November 30 at 5pm for an evening of carols, cocoa, and cookies! Bring your best voice and most festive treats! Register here.
Women’s Christmas Brunch | December 6 at 10AM
Save the date for the annual Women’s Christmas Brunch! This is a sweet time for fellowship and food. Register here by December 5.
Fall Life Classes | Sunday at 9AM
Life Classes are meant to equip High Pointe for life as a Christian. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity and join us! Click here to see our current Life Classes. Please note that we will be combining Life Classes for 3 weeks (11/30, 12/7, 12/14). This will be in the Livingston Room. No Youth or Children’s life classes. Childcare will still be available (8mo-PreK).
Sunday AM Preaching Schedule: Pray regularly for the ministry of the Word at High Pointe. Also, prepare for our gatherings by reading the sermon text, thinking it through, and asking questions about the text before Sunday. Here is our (tentative) preaching schedule designed to help you prepare for Sundays:
November 30 | Luke 12:1-12 | Don’t Fear Man. Fear God | Pastor Juan Sanchez
December 7 | Luke 12:13-34 | Don’t Worry. Trust God | Pastor Juan Sanchez
December 14 | Luke 12:35-59 | Don’t Waste Your Life. Be Ready | Pastor Juan Sanchez
December 21 | Luke 13:1-9 | Now is the Time to Repent | Pastor Juan Sanchez
December 28 | Isaiah | Pastor Robert Cline
Begin praying as you prepare to join us this Sunday at 10:00 a.m.
Gospel Partner of the Month: 9Marks
9Mark exists to help pastors, future pastors, and church members build healthy churches. To this end, 9Marks creates resources like books, podcasts, a quarterly journal, web courses, and more. They also host training events around the world. Their focus in everything is on nine marks of a healthy church—expositional preaching, gospel doctrine, conversion and evangelism, church membership, church discipline, discipleship and growth, church leadership, prayer, and missions. Why these nine? Because the Bible requires them, and, sadly, too many evangelical churches have neglected or assumed them.
On-Call Pastor
To better care for you, High Pointe, we have an “on-call” pastor available for emergencies after office hours. To reach the on-call pastor, call 512-837-7725, extension 1.
