WAITING ON THE LORD

"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 40:31)

Isaiah foretold a time of great spiritual stress. It was a time so taxing to the soul that "Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall" (40:30). Human strength would quickly dissipate under the burden of the times. However, the people of God were not to despair. With great effectiveness the prophet reminds them, "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength" (40:29). Nearly 800 years later, the Spirit would remind the church through Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor 12:9).

Isaiah declares the secret to strength–to surviving spiritually debilitating times. It is waiting upon the Lord. "Waiting," in this case, is NOT doing nothing in a spirit of complacency. Rather, it is an aspect of fervent hope. The word means to look for and patiently hold your ground. This is a posture of the soul that results from strong faith.

The Word of God is clear about the outcome of this stance. The circumstances may seem intolerable, and the energy of the one waiting may appear to be quickly dissolving--"But they that wait upon the Lord will gain new strength" (NASB). The enemy may be coming in like a flood, and the dark night of oppression descending upon them–but the waiting ones "will mount up with wings like eagles," rising above time and circumstance into the safety zone. With overwhelming odds, the armies of darkness may pursue the children of God, bearing down upon them with threatening force–but the waiting ones "will run and not get tired." Life may become difficult as the saint is required to traverse deserts and mountainous terrain–but the waiting ones "will walk and not become weary."

This is not the idle wish of an imaginative soul. It is the promise of God Almighty. Even though the Lord "bears long" with waiting, struggling believers, He will "speedily" come to their aid (Lk 18:8). In a moment of time the Lord can make an ax head swim (2 Kgs 6:6), a furnace lose its destructive powers (Dan 3:27), and starving lions cease to be aggressive (Dan 6:22). Peter can confidently sleep in prison, even though the ruler had determined to kill him (Acts 12:7).

Those who confidently look for the Lord may soar out of their troubles on eagles wings. They may aggressively run out of it, outdistancing their enemies. Or, they may boldly walk all the way through the valley of the shadow. But they will not be consumed by their troubles! Not if they "wait on the Lord." If they do not move out in the energy of the flesh, but focus on keeping their faith strong, their trouble will soon be behind them.

It is no wonder we are admonished, "Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!" (Psalm 27:14, NKJV).

PRAYER POINT: Father, In the name of Jesus, teach me to wait on You in a way that brings glory to You and victory to me.

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