Results of Waiting upon the Lord

“But they who wait upon 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.” –Isaiah 40:31 (ESV).

If we admit it, most of us would have to own up to being a bit impatient.  We have not yet developed fully that gift of the Holy Spirit called patience.  Isaiah urged waiting upon the Lord, being patient for His will and way to be accomplished. It should be made clear that the word “wait” does not mean to sit idly by and do nothing.  Wait carries the idea of hoping, anticipating.  While we wait we meditate on God’s power, His promises and His provision.  Waiting is active anticipation of what will come.  As we surround ourselves with God’s presence, He will be renewing our strength.

Last year I had an illness that put me in the hospital for a few days for drip antibiotics, oxygen, and breathing therapy.  The lung infection had a thorough grip on me and I could not throw it off without help.  The treatment worked, and soon I was allowed to return home, continuing with some breathing exercises and adequate rest.  During the period in the hospital and the enforced rest, I sought as well to draw closer to God.  I thought of the experience as being the pure oxygen of God’s renewing presence.  A definite result of waiting upon the Lord was a renewal of strength.  To renew is to find a supply of new strength adequate to the tasks at hand.  God wants to accomplish that in the life of those who wait upon Him.

The next result of waiting upon the Lord is given in a striking metaphor”  “they shall mount up with wings as eagles.”  Once when Grover and I were on a trip to a western U. S. state, we came upon an eagle aerie.  There that majestic and mighty bird nested.  This symbol of our country’s strength was able to lift mighty wings and soar into the sky as we watched.  While watching the eagle, I thought of this scripture and its promise.  When I think of the eagle as the mascot of our country, I think of the powerful potential of a united country, one on the right track and with purposes clearly defined as our pledge of allegiance so aptly states:  “one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all.”  May our country return to the Lord and seek His strength and direction.

What a blessing it would be to experience the last two results of waiting upon the Lord:  to “run and not be weary, to walk and not faint.”  Dr.  Warren Wiersbe comments on this verse:  “”As we wait upon God, He enables us to soar when there is a crisis, to run when the challenges are many, and to walk faithfully in the day-by-day demands of life.  It is much harder to walk in the ordinary pressures of life than to fly like the eagle in a time of crisis.” (The Weirsbe Bible ommentary, Old Testament.  Colorado Springs: Cook , 2007, p. 1185).

Prayer.  May we as individuals and a nation wait upon You, O Lord.  Through Your grace renew our strength.  Help us to meet the requirements for Your forgiveness and restoration.  We would again like to have the strength in crisis as a mighty eagle, and the ability to run and walk with confidence and be unafraid.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

God’s Greatness Is above Earthly Powers

“Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  Has it not been told you from the beginning?  Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?  It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.  Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.  He brings the princes to nothing, He makes the judges of the earth useless. Scarcely shall they be planted, Scarcely shall they be sown, Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth.  When He will also blow on them, and they will wither.  And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.”  -Isaiah 40:21-24 (NKJV).

This poem from the prophet Isaiah was written to encourage the people in Babylonian captivity.  Beginning with chapter 40 through the end of Isaiah, the prophet fore sees this period in Israel’s history and wants to remind them that God is in control, not earthly powers.  “”Have you not known?  Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?”  These rhetorical questions, asked in the expectancy of receiving a positive answer, “Yes!” are a reminder that, as we would say in the mountains where I was born and reared, “Have you not been brought up to know?”  The prophet indeed knows that they have been taught about the majesty, power and goodness of God from the time when Adam and Eve inhabited the Garden of Eden—“from the foundation of the earth?”  In any age, and certainly as the people faced exile and captivity again in a foreign land, they should remember who is in charge of this world.

You, perhaps, as I, have friends who send you numerous e-mails and comments on our current conditions in politics, in the economy, in the world situation in general.  We live in a troubled and troublous time.   If we ignore conditions in which we live, we would be like the proverbial bird that puts his head in the sand oblivious to the situation around him.  Certainly we are concerned about our present conditions, and the insecurities they bring to bear on our welfare.  And well we should be.  To ignore the conditions and separate ourselves from troubling situations would be foolish on our part. But at the same time we are to remember, as Isaiah reminds us here, that God is the ultimate ruler; He is the ultimate judge.  Compared to the tenure and temporary power of earthly kingdoms and their rulers, God is always in power.  His omnipotence never fails.  And in whatever condition we find ourselves, we cling to the truth that God is in charge.  This does not mean that we will not suffer because of circumstances.  It does mean that God is with those who believe and we can trust securely in Him.

And therein lies the hope to which believers must cling.  God the Creator, the Sustainer is ultimately in charge.  Hearing and knowing this mighty truth is our consolation.  In comparison to God’s omnipotence, the rulers of the earth whose terms are temporary are “as grasshoppers.”  When we are tempted to think that God is remote and not concerned about the affairs of the world, we are to recall that He knows the name of every star, the very hairs of our head are numbered, He knows us by name!  How awesome is this knowledge?  And this same powerful God who creates, names and numbers the stars can touch and heal our anxieties and give us peace in knowing Him.  As Paul would write centuries after Isaiah,  “I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Philippians 4:11).  Kingdoms come and kingdoms go, but our God is forever!  Praise be to God!

The Word…Sweeter Than Honey

“How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore, I hate every false way.” –Psalm 119:103-104. “ ”Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.”-Psalm 119:97 (NKJV).

Do you love God’s Word? Can you say with the writer of Psalm 119 that it is sweeter to your mouth than honey? Can you attest that God’s law is your meditation all the day? Do you cling to God’s testimonies? Do you delight in His commandments? Do you yearn for the Lord’s precepts? If you can honestly say yes to all of these questions, then you do have a desire to know God’s Word, to cling to it, to follow it, to keep it in your heart and mind. Such was the desire of the writer of the very longest Psalm of all, 119, which is a 176 verse acclamation of the excellence of God’s Word and how the Psalmist wanted to hide it in his heart, live by it, and gain delight and life from it.

Isaiah 40:3 reads: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’” I take this verse out of context and apply it to the present dearth of the knowledge of and love for the Word of God—the spiritual wilderness or desert in which we, by our own lack of study and application of the Bible—allow ourselves to live. But there is a voice in this wilderness. God has given us His Word. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; That the man of God may be complete, perfect, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” –II Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV). Paul’s strong words about the inspiration of Scripture, and its value for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness are emphasized. We don’t have to wander in the wilderness of apathy and spiritual dearth. We can be well-equipped with the knowledge and guidance God’s Word provides us. Systematically reading and studying the Word of God can supply a wonderful highway through the desert of our spiritual dearth. Just like the shepherds of old came upon a bee tree in Israel, and had the sweet taste of honey to assuage their hunger, so the Word of God can satisfy our spiritual hunger. It can go beyond providing for our spiritual hunger; it can fill us to overflowing with the precepts, joy and guidance of the Lord.

I must establish some necessary guidelines when I open God’s Word, the Bible. When I approach it, I am entering holy ground. I am not seeking an explanation for God; He is, and I am seeking His voice. We need to pray, “Maranatha. Our Lord, come!” (I Corinthians 16:22). Maranatha is a word we associate with the second coming of the Lord. But it can also mean, “Lord come to me now; speak to me now.” Each time we take the Word to study it, read it for inspiration, seek out its truths for our edification, we are meeting the Lord. He is speaking to us! Wonder of wonders, His “Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path!” (Psalm 119:105). We would see a difference in our churches, in our society, in families, in personal lives of Christians if only we would take seriously our love for the Word and be diligent in following its truths. As good as they are, a few devotional verses a day may help, but they are not enough. A deep-down, earnest, sincere study of the Word is what is needed. Can you answer yes to the questions posed at the beginning of this devotional? Would you like to? I hope you will say, “Maranatha, Lord come! Talk to me through Your Word.” Then we will say with the Psalmist: “Oh! How I love Thy law (Word)! It is my meditation day and night!”