Wait on the LORD

WAIT UPON THE LORD

Isaiah 40:28-31

I. What does it mean to “Wait Upon the Lord”?

A. WAIT - A primitive root; to bind together (perhaps by twisting), that is, collect; (figuratively) to expect: - gather (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon). (Strong's)

1. In essence, we are talking about trusting God, and looking for His blessings.

2. This is EXPECTING His good blessings to come, with an attitude that it will HAPPEN – not that it MIGHT, but that it WILL.

3. “The phrase, ‘to wait on Yahweh,’ means to wait for his help; that is, to trust in him, to put our hope or confidence in him.” (Barnes)

4. This takes a great amount of trust and confidence.

B. Our “waiting” is NOT supposed to be conditional

1. “I will trust in God AS LONG AS...” - this is not the attitude of a long-lasting disciple!

2. Some “wait upon the LORD” based upon what THEY expect.

3. Often, if it's not the result that we want, we do not appreciate the blessings we receive, or worse, we end up doubting God.

C. Our “waiting” is NOT inactivity

1. Some are waiting for God to contact them, to show them “the right way”, and are frustrated when they do not hear Him.

2. In fact, this is the basis for much peer pressure among Charismatics. If you haven't “heard the voice”, you aren't blessed.

3. God expects us to use the means He has provided to be in His good grace. Even while we wait upon Him, He has given us work to do.

4. Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ:

II. God is Eternal and Strong (28)

A. Have you not known/heard?

1. This is something that Judah and Israel should have known.

2. In context, God is reminding His People that He is eternal and powerful, beyond anything.

3. Deuteronomy 11:19 You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

5. Obviously this had NOT been followed in the following generations, and in Isaiah, you have people who are carried away by idolatry, and doubting the saving power of Jehovah God.

6. Great strength in seeing in history how God has provided for His people, even in recent times.

7. The split in early 1900s carried away 80-90% of churches. By the 50s, it had swelled up considerably!

8. Have WE not seen and heard?

B. God does not fail, because He is the Creator

1. Because we are weak and frail, we can easily use the same sense in thinking about God.

2. Not a new problem; the pantheons of Greece and Rome were all about “humanizing” the gods. They were just as fickle and contrary as Men.

3. However, God doesn't faint or tire. There is no weakness in Him; always strength.

4. The example used is that of God in creation; what a mighty work! Surely the one who did that is capable of helping His People.

C. God's eternal wisdom should give us confidence.

1. God's understanding of things is high above and away from ours. It is beyond us to determine the reality of the situation; He alone has that.

2. Job 11:7-9 – He is beyond our comprehension in power and might! What business do we have in doubting Him?

3. He can help me in WHATEVER I bring before Him!

4. 1 Peter 5:6-7 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, (7) casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares about you.

III. God's Incredible Help (29-30)

A. God provides help for those who are weak. (29)

1. Judah had been battered down at this point, and was to be carried away into slavery in Babylon.

2. God reminds His People always that He can provide for them in their weakness.

3. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 – When WE are weak, HE is strong!

B. If we seek to do it alone, we will fail. (30)

1. We will not be blessed if we are not “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3)

2. The statement “even the youths” means that the strongest and most virile among us will perish without the help of the LORD.

3. Such is true right now. Even the strongest and most faithful of our number will fail if we do not trust in God, and have Him above all.

IV. We Must Wait Upon The Lord (31)

A. “BUT They that wait upon the LORD...”

1. This is a CONTRAST to those who are weak and are fainting (v.30).

2. This is who WE need to be. Patient and waiting upon the One who can save us in the end.

3. Psalms 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

B. “...shall RENEW their strength...” / “mount up on wings as eagles”

1. Renew – Change

2. We need our strength to NOT be based upon the strength of this earth or time, but to be transformed into the strength that God gives.

3. Waiting upon the LORD will bring us strength and freedom in a way nothing else can. None of this would be possible without Him.

4. Ephesians 1:19-23, 3:14-21 – Our transformation as Christians RENEWS our strength.

5. We should never doubt or stop trusting the eternal and awesome power of God to bless us and change our lives.

6.Exodus 19:4 You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.

7. Deuteronomy 32:10-12 – God does the same for His People today!

C. “They shall RUN and not be weary… …WALK, and not faint…”

1. There is a great benefit to waiting and trusting on the LORD, expecting great things.

2. In this, we will excel, and be blessed. We know that life tires us, and the world wearies us, but in Him, we can walk, and run.

3. Psalms 3:5 I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.

4. The Christian does not stop!

Total KJV Occurrences: 49

wait, 23

Job_17:13, Psa_25:3, Psa_25:5, Psa_25:21, Psa_27:14 (2), Psa_37:9, Psa_37:34, Psa_39:7, Psa_52:9, Psa_69:6 (2), Psa_130:5 (2), Pro_20:22, Isa_40:31, Isa_49:23, Isa_51:5, Isa_60:9 (2), Jer_14:22, Lam_3:25, Hos_12:6

looked, 9

Job_30:26, Psa_69:20, Isa_5:2, Isa_5:4, Isa_5:7, Isa_64:3, Jer_8:15, Jer_14:19, Lam_2:16

waited, 8

Job_6:18-19 (2), Psa_40:1, Psa_119:95, Isa_25:9 (2), Isa_26:8, Isa_33:2

look, 4

Job_3:9, Isa_8:17, Isa_59:11, Jer_13:16

gathered, 2

Gen_1:9, Jer_3:17

looketh, 1

Job_7:2

patiently, 1

Psa_40:1

tarrieth, 1

Mic_5:7

BDB Definition:

1) to wait, look for, hope, expect

1a) (Qal) waiting (participle)

1b) (Piel)

1b1) to wait or look eagerly for

1b2) to lie in wait for

1b3) to wait for, linger for

2) to collect, bind together

2a) (Niphal) to be collected

(Psalms 123:2) Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.

(Isaiah 8:17) And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.

(Isaiah 40:31) But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

(Isaiah 30:18) And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

(Jeremiah 14:22) Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.

(Zephaniah 3:8) Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.