“…but those who wait upon the Lord
Isaiah 40:31 KJV
shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
they shall walk, and not faint.”
Recently, I started an advent study for December called Waiting & Wonder.
When I say advent, I’m not talking about the calendars with mystery presents you open daily until Christmas.
Instead, the kind of advent I’m talking about is the season of preparation for Jesus’ birth – aka the reason for the season.
Advent reminds us that God’s people waited over 400 years for a Saviour. Yes, in your Bible, the amount of time that passed from the last page of the Old Testament to the first page of the New Testament was over 400 years.
Isn’t that crazy? Can you imagine waiting that long for something? I can barely wait the full minute before my food finishes heating up in the microwave.
More often than not, we find ourselves waiting for something.
Maybe it’s food, like I mentioned above, or an Amazon package. Or maybe it’s more serious than that, and we’re waiting for an apology from someone who hurt us. We’re waiting for someone in our family to be healed of their disease, or we’re waiting to be healed ourselves.
Whatever you’re waiting on, whether mentioned above or not, it’s easy to become impatient or frustrated, especially when it seems to be drawn out for weeks, months, or years.
I think it’s important to remember two things in difficult seasons of waiting:
- God’s timing works differently than ours
- How we wait actually matters
Throughout the Bible, we see the theme of waiting.
Abraham waited for God’s promises.
Joseph waited to get out of an Egyptian prison.
Moses, Caleb, and Joshua waited in the wilderness.
David waited to become king after being appointed.
The Israelites waited for their Messiah.
So. Much. Waiting.
Through these stories, we learn that God’s timing is always perfect, which means it’s worth waiting on, and we need to remain faithful despite our circumstances.
How do we do that? How do we remain faithful when we feel like all of our own strength is gone?
Isaiah 40:31 paints the most beautiful picture that can help us. I know I put the King James Version at the top, but I want to show you the Amplified Version (AMP):
“But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him]
Will gain new strength and renew their power;
They will 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.”
What I love about the AMP Version is that it answers the important who, why, how, and what questions of waiting. And even though this version doesn’t mention it, we can also answer the where and when.
Who do we wait for? The Lord.
Why do we wait for the Lord? So we can gain new strength and renew our power (we’re talking about your ability to do something, not magical powers – this isn’t Harry Potter).
How do we wait? Expect, look for, and hope in Him.
What happens when we wait? We will rise closer to God like eagles, run and not grow weary, and walk and not grow tired.
Where? Anywhere.
When? Anytime.
I don’t know how much clearer God’s Word can be!
When we wait on the Lord, we’re handing over the things that weaken us. We no longer have to rely on our own strength – which tends to falter or fail eventually – instead, we can find peace and security in knowing that God will renew us. God will replenish us. God will help us.
He wants to revive all of us with a supernatural kind of strength in our waiting– a type of strength that lets us mount up with wings like eagles and run and walk without growing tired.
These wings will give us the ability to grow closer to God.
The strength God wants to equip us with will allow us to run with perseverance the race marked out for us (Hebrew 12:1).
How can God equip us with this kind of strength? Because the Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak (Isaiah 40:28-29).
To receive this strength, we need to continue to seek and hope in the Lord. We must remind ourselves that God is faithful and has a perfect plan for our lives. Only then will He be able to equip us with the supernatural strength Isaiah mentions.
Even though Isaiah was sharing God’s promise to the Israelites in these verses, Jesus showed up on the scene and changed everything. He was born so this promise could be extended to everyone, including you and me.
This Christmas season, remember that for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
This is the reason we celebrate Christmas. And this is the reason we can find renewed strength, peace, and hope in our waiting.
I know waiting isn’t easy, my friend, but when you’re struggling, return to Isaiah 40:31. Speak it over your circumstances. Speak it over your life. And in the tears and frustration, continue to expect, look for, and hope in God.
He won’t scold you the way we scold and judge each other for being impatient. Instead, He will clothe you with a supernatural strength that will bring perseverance and joy to the waiting.
Reflection Questions
- What are you currently waiting for in your life?
- How have you been spending your time waiting? Have you been patient or constantly frustrated and angry with God?
- After reading this devotional, how will you approach your current waiting situation, or how will you approach them in the future?
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for sending Jesus into this broken world so I could be reconciled to You. I know I haven’t been very patient in the past, but I pray that I can continue to look for and hope in You, especially in the waiting. Strengthen and renew me through this season, Lord. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
References
GotQuestions.org. (2017, February 2). Home. GotQuestions.org. Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://www.gotquestions.org/mount-up-with-wings-like-eagles.html
