STRENGTH IN THE HEART (4)

“But 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…” – Isaiah 40:31

Waiting on the LORD, the weak and weary will receive and renew STRENGTH in the HEART: “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but 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” (Isa.40:29-31). Waiting on the Lord has also been translated: “hope in the LORD” (New International Version), and “trust in the Lord” (New Living Translation). Therefore, to wait on the Lord is to hope and trust in Him. Those who wait on, hope, and trust in the Lord for help, will find, gain, receive, and have new and fresh strength.

Weariness – whether physical, emotional, or spiritual – comes to all men. However, weariness of the heart appears to be pervasive. Despite the heights of human civilisation, social advancement and technological breakthroughs, the woes in the world are more than enough to make the strongest of men weak, weary, and fainting in their hearts. Our Lord Jesus Christ prophesied about a time when men’s HEARTS would be “failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth” (Lk.21:26). It appears the world is already passing through such perilous times! Numerous problems are weighing down many hearts. Isaiah reveals the Secret to the renewal of Divine Strength – Waiting on the Lord: hope and trust in the Lord.

Waiting is a part of life, but no one likes to wait. We reluctantly wait on queues, at the traffic light, and for appointments. We wait and work to accomplish things we desire in life. The mother waits nine months to give birth to her long awaited baby. The farmer waits for seeds to turn into a harvest. There are huge benefits in Waiting on the Lord. Waiting on God causes us to realize that we are in control of nothing! It compels us to turn to God when we would rather trust other things or other people who are unable to fulfil that which we stand in desperate need of. Waiting allows God to work His perfect work in and through us. Waiting is involved in the process of becoming what God wants us to be. What God does in us while we wait is as important as what it is we are waiting for.

Waiting upon God means to be cast upon Him in utter dependence, ready to hear His voice and to do His will, having our whole expectation from Him. It implies complete confidence and trust in the Lord, and absolutely no confidence in self or in human help. When we wait on God's timing, we are saying to Him: “we trust You, for You alone knows what is best!” David prayed: “Let no one who waits on You be ashamed” (Psa.25:3). Isaiah’s words remind us that although we may be feeling tired, weak, weary, or faint, the Lord, the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth “neither faints nor is weary” (v.28). In every situation, God “gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength” (v.29).

No matter the fatigue, God promises His Presence and Power. We serve the Lord “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…Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing” (v.22, 26b). In our lives, nothing of value shall the missing! The God who is never weary will give us the strength to face whatever situation we are in and win. He’ll empower us to soar swiftly like eagles, to run and not be weary, and to walk and not faint!