Waiting On The Lord
August 2022 |
“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
The Complaint
The context in which Isaiah 40:31 is found is important to understand. In Isaiah 40:27 we find that Israel is complaining to God and doesn’t feel as though their present situation is being handled fairly. Some of the people even believe that God has forgotten them. These complaints are being made by those who are in Babylonian captivity. For the most part, the difficult season that they are in is a result of their own rebellion and idolatry. There are times in our lives where God deals strongly with us concerning a wrong direction that we have taken. He may allow “our enemy” a temporary victory against us.
But don’t make the mistake of thinking that God has forgotten you. He hasn’t! He is in covenant relationship with you because of your faith in Jesus Christ. There would have been some Israelites in Babylon who had not been worshiping idols. Their complaint was that their status of faithfulness should exempt them from the current trial. Again, God may very well allow a difficulty or a trial we feel is undeserved. Through it He intends to better us. No matter how far along the journey of righteousness one has come, there are still many things to learn about both God and about ourselves. There are some things that God finds the need to change. No matter what the situation you find yourself in, be assured that God has not passed you over. He has not ignored your spiritual condition, be it good or bad. Rest assured that God is closely watching the events that occur in all the lives of His covenant people, especially yours!
Redirecting One’s Focus
In Isaiah 40:28, the prophet attempts to switch the focus of the people from their difficulty to their God. When a believer finds himself in a negative situation, it does little good to complain. Instead, he should remind himself of the nature and character of God.
When we focus on Him, our problem will cease to seem so overwhelming. Isaiah asks God’s people, “Have you not known, have you not heard?” Think of your own experiences with the Lord. Have you not known Him to be consistently faithful and caring? If you fail to recall anything good that He’s done for you then surely you must have “heard” of the good that He has done for others. Isaiah refers to Him as the “everlasting God.” This means that He was involved with you before time began and will remain in charge of your existence long after time ends. God knows exactly what’s going on with you! He is the “LORD.” This declares Him to be Jehovah, your covenant God. The thing we struggle to realize is where we personally fit into God’s plans. God knows exactly where He wants us to be, what He wants us to become, and what He wants us to do. In His perfect timing, He will manifest His plan, which will greatly benefit us. God has not grown tired. He is not gasping for breath because of circumstances we face. It is likely that we cannot see or fully understand what He is doing. However, He still expects us to believe that He is positioning us perfectly. We may not understand why or how. But we are asked to believe that He is faithful, that He is active in our situation, and that He intends to bring it to a conclusion that will benefit us.
The Promise Of Grace
Isaiah 40:29-30 goes on to declare that the Lord will bring strength to His people. He gives power to the faint, to those who are weary, or to those who are exhausted. This power involves the moving and operation of the Holy Spirit. The giving of this Holy Spirit power is one aspect of the grace of God. God’s grace can bring us the power we need and the strength we need to move through any given situation. God may not totally remove the negativity that we are surrounded by, but He will add to us the strength we need to travel through it. Again, He only asks that we keep our faith centered on Him. For new covenant believers, our focus ought to be on Christ and the covenant cut for us at Calvary. It is this covenant position that guarantees us grace from God when it is needed. Even the youth will run out of strength. But that, my friend, is natural strength, not the supernatural strength that can come from God’s grace. Man doesn’t have the wherewithal to travel through a difficulty successfully without God strengthening his inner most being. But those who trust Him will always receive grace for the journey.
The Renewing Of Strength
In Isaiah 40:31 we encounter the term wait. Wait is a four-letter word that we’d rather not encounter. Most of us are in a hurry to get life done. We want to plan, carry that plan out, and wave at our accomplishment as we go on to the next issue of life. God is patient and totally committed to His knowledge of proper timing. He patiently waits for the most advantageous timeframe to move in our situation. For the believer, hoping and waiting are to be encountered simultaneously. To wait for something is to live in hope. To live in hope demands that we wait. We are not to wait for the perfect moment to accomplish something on our own. We must wait for the plan of God to come forth in the timing of God. Then, in His perfect timing, as God’s grace strengthens us supernaturally, we rise above the untoward circumstances of our lives and fly gracefully like an eagle to the heights that God has always had in mind.
God is faithful. Wait and hope in Him. You will find the results worthwhile and the Lord worthy of all praise!
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