ISAIAH 40:31: Those who wait on 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.
People in the United States hate to wait. Some define a split second as the time between the traffic
light turning green and the person behind you blowing his horn. Fast-food chains have sprung up
everywhere because many people don’t want to go to restaurants where they have to wait for their
food.
Grocery stores have express lanes so that those with only a few items will not have to wait long.
Patience is certainly a dying virtue in our culture.
God knew that Israel would have to wait a long time for fulfillment of the many promises He gave
through the prophet Isaiah. Nearly 150 years would pass before “Cyrus . . . My shepherd” would
restore the people from captivity (44:28). It would be more than 700 years before the “people who
walked in darkness” would see the light of the Gospel (9:2). And many promises have yet to be
fulfilled (11:6-9; 35:1-10).
We may not like to wait, but God attaches a promise to waiting. In patiently trusting Him, He assures
us, we will find a new strength. When the right time comes, we will have wings like eagles and
supernatural endurance.
Many Christians wear themselves out because they are running ahead of God rather than waiting for
His perfect time. If you’re prone to do this, let God not only have His will in your life, but also let Him
accomplish that will in His time.
Use the waiting time as an opportunity to renew your strength and prepare for what lies ahead.
Waiting doesn’t have to be a drag; it can be a surge.
IT’S BETTER TO BE RENEWED BY WAITING THAN RUINED BY RUSHING