The Discipline of Waiting

Isaiah 40:31, "but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

It may not be very popular and it probably wouldn't sell many books, but there is something to be said of our ability to wait upon the Lord.

Over the last couple of days, I have shared some tools to help strengthen you in your relationship with Christ. We have talked about the necessity to renew our minds, remain in a faith-filled mindset, and recover a proper image of God and ourselves. You will discover these tools to be valuable if you can learn to wait upon the Lord.

I love this verb in the Hebrew. To "wait" means to bind together, look, and patiently wait. When we wait upon the Lord, we aren't sitting idly by and doing nothing. We are actually do what is necessary to bind ourselves together with Him in the process. We are walking in faith, trusting, learning about Him, and meditating upon His Word. We are learning what it means to have a confident expectation of Him. The question isn't whether or not we will ever have to wait. The question is how will we wait?

John Waller wrote a song a few years ago titled "While I'm Waiting" - pay attention to these words:
I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

As you and I learn the discipline of waiting, we will discover more and more about who God is, who we are in Him, and how to be strengthened in this process. Remember that Isaiah promised that those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. We will run and not be weary, walk and not faint, and we will rise up with wings as eagles. This isn't the microwave Christianity that is so popular today, but it is the tried and tested way of growing in our relationship with God. This is the place where we learn to see, hear, and trust Him. And in the process, He gives us strength.

Take some time to wait upon Him. Don't force the issue. Let God be God and learn to establish your heart in Him. When you go through that process, then you can fly.