Waiting on the Lord

Isaiah 40:31 – but those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

 

Waiting is  hard. We are more comfortable working. Try sitting with no cell phone, no computer, no talking, no texting. Just sit…..and wait. 

It is hard! It is even harder during a time of crisis. 

 

“All we can do now is wait” the doctor says, leaving you in a hospital bed with nothing to do. Earlier, when chest pain brought you here, a storm of activity surrounded you. Wires, monitors, a small pill under your tongue. 

Now the pain is gone. The activity has subsided, and the storm has left your body and moved to your mind. You start to pray but you do not finish. You cant keep your focus. You find it hard to do nothing. To lie there. To wait. 

 

Now is the time for a word. A word that goes beyond the counsel of a doctor. A word that only God can provide. 

God gave such a word to his prophet Isaiah. Isaiah saw a future crisis. God’s people would be victims of war, witnesses to death and destruction, exiles, journeying 900 miles from home, living without temple, with out sacrifices, without a king, without a kingdom. But one thing they would not be without was their God. God gave them a word. A word for waiting. 

 

“They who wait on the Lord….” Isaiah said, and his words gave the people hope. The Lord was at work, shaping their future. 

Waiting is never easy. But remember one thing. When there is nothing you can do, it doesn’t mean that nothing can be done. You have a God who is watching and working for you. 

Before the world was created, God knew you. Before you were born, God sent Jesus to die and rise, bringing life and forgiveness to you. And his work is not finished. “Wait for him”, Isaiah says. Though you don’t see it, he is working. For you. 

 

Do you want to grow more mature as a Christian? Is there some work of God for which you can wait?

Meditate on these words of Isaiah. They offer you hope. Though you may not see it, God is working for you.