Isaiah 40:31(ESV) 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.
We wait on the Lord to act, to deliver, to save, to avenge, to answer our prayers, to provide for our needs, to renew our strength, to reveal His glory, to do what only God can do.
But what does it mean to wait?
Waiting on the Lord is the sum of depending on God and subjecting your will to His terms and timing. Waiting always involve time and patience. Waiting often include a hope and a confidence in God – and an expectation that He will act on your behalf in His good timing.
Often, our ability to trust God, to wait upon Him, and have confidence in His timing is tied to our willingness to set aside our own agenda, skills, abilities, and ingenuity. We trade our weakness for His strength.
Isaiah 40:30-31(ESV) Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 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.
We are commanded to wait on the Lord.
Psalm 27:14(NLT) Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.
God uses our waiting to reveal His glory. John 11: 21-24(NLT) Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”
God works for those who wait for Him. Isaiah 64:4(NLT) For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!
Isaiah 30:18(AMPC) And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favour, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!
God works for those who wait for Him. David waited 15 years to be king. Moses waited 40 years to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. He fled Egypt and wasn’t called back to lead his people until he was in his 80s. Sarah waited 25 years for her appointed child, Isaac. Rebekah waited 20 years to give birth to Jacob and Esau.
If God undertakes to work for us, He cannot fail.
Isaiah 46:9b–10(ESV) “. . I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’”