One of my favorite Scriptures is Isaiah 40:31: “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” (KJV). Years ago those words were put to music, and I sang them and taught them to my children.
The song added the phrase, “Teach me, Lord / Teach me, Lord, to wait.” I loved that passage, and I loved that song. I sang it all the time.
But I didn’t think too much about what I was asking. Did I really want Him to teach me to wait?
I don’t know about you, but I don’t like waiting. However, our heavenly Father knows there is a value in our learning to wait on Him, so He allows us to be placed in situations where we have no choice but to wait.
I remember the days when we had to wait for dinner to be ready. My mother made everything from scratch, and it took time to chop, cook, simmer and serve. She was a fabulous cook, so the end result was fantastic.
We can’t match the result of that effort today. We may try to duplicate it by popping food in the microwave or substituting one ingredient for another. But hurrying the process by taking shortcuts just doesn’t produce the same result.
However, waiting is not easy. There is such a feeling of helplessness when we are forced into a situation in which we can’t do anything but wait!
Waiting can be painful when you are not sure of the outcome. But we must remember that we are not waiting simply for an outcome; we are waiting on the Lord. And waiting on Him–no matter how long the process seems to take–will have the best results.
One definition Webster’s gives for wait is “look forward expectantly.” Those who wait upon the Lord stay in a place of confident expectation.
We may not know what will happen tomorrow, but we know Who holds tomorrow. The promise Isaiah 40:31 gives is that if we depend on the Lord and look forward in hope and expectation, He will renew our strength. We will not fear or lose heart.
The Lord said that in the last days men’s hearts would fail them for fear (see Luke 21:26). But “God has not given us a spirit of fear” (2 Tim. 1:7, NKJV).
If you have given in to fear because you don’t know what’s coming, turn away from it and begin to wait (look with expectation) upon the Lord. He will give you the peace and strength to step boldly into your future knowing His results are best.
Ruth Lopez-Whitfield is an employee of Strang Communications.
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