He Giveth Strength

The Story Behind the Hymn

This hymn was written for the days when the work is heavier than the hand that must carry it. Every Christian household knows this hour — a stretch of parenting that will not lighten, a season of illness that will not end, a long faithfulness kept without applause. Isaiah wrote to a people who had grown tired of waiting for God. His answer was not a shortcut, but a promise: strength is given, not summoned; renewed, not manufactured.

The eagle in Isaiah does not rise because its wings are strong. It rises because the wind of God is under it. The runner does not finish because his lungs are large. He finishes because the Lord who called him also carries him. This hymn is a prayer for the ordinary, weary faithfulness of a household that has been asked to keep going.

Scripture Anchor

“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even 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.” Isaiah 40:29-31 · KJV

Companion passages: 2 Corinthians 12:9 (“my strength is made perfect in weakness”) · Psalm 46:1 (“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”) · Philippians 4:13 (“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”) · Zechariah 4:6 (“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord”).

Listen & Sing Along

Press play. The choir will lead. The highlighted line is the line the choir is singing now. Nothing autoplays; the hymn will wait for you.

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Verse 1

When the work is more than the hand can hold,

When the day is longer than the heart is bold,

Thou who walked the dust of this our road,

Lift again the corner of our load.

Verse 2

The weary find their strength renewed in thee,

The trembling foot is steadied on the way,

We rise as eagles upon thy promise rise,

And run, and walk, and do not faint today.

Bridge

Not by our own might,

Not by our own breath,

But by the One who keeps us

Through every storm and death.

Verse 3

Lord, our strength is small but thine is whole,

Make our weakness the place where thy mercy grows.

Walk before us now, and walk behind,

And we shall finish what thou hast assigned.

The highlighted line is the line the choir is singing now.

Reflection

Weakness is one of the honest shapes of faith. When our strength is small, we are pushed to remember whose strength is holding us. The Christian household is not built by parents who never grow tired — it is built by parents who, when tired, know where to turn. The Lord does not shame the faint. He gives to them. He does not scold the trembling. He steadies them.

The comfort of this hymn is not that we will stop being weary. It is that our weariness is not the last word. The Lord who called us to this house, this work, this hour, is the same Lord who supplies the strength to finish. What He assigned, He will also complete.

A Prayer for the Weary Hour

Good Father, thou who gavest strength to those that had no might, give strength to us now. Where our hands are heavy, lift the corner of our load. Where our feet are trembling, steady the way. Where our courage fails, remind us of thy promise: that they who wait upon thee shall renew their strength. Walk before us, and walk behind us, and let us finish what thou hast assigned. In the name of Jesus Christ, thy Son and our Lord. Amen.

Watch & Share

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Use This Hymn At Home

Morning Before the day begins

Read Isaiah 40:29-31 aloud. Sing the first verse together. Name one thing your household is carrying today, and ask the Lord to lift the corner of it.

Evening As the house grows quiet

Play the hymn once through. Let each person name one place where they felt weak today, and one place where they felt carried. Close with the short prayer above.

With Children Simple enough for little ears

Show them a picture of an eagle. Ask, “What makes it fly?” Answer together: the wind lifts it up. Sing the bridge (“Not by our own might”) — the shorter lines fit small voices.