Blessings for those who can Wait

“Blessings for those who Can Wait?”

Text: Isaiah 40:31

Introduction and Background: Chapter 40 of Isaiah is among 26 of the last 66 chapters of the prophetic writings of this book of prophecy. It is part of the messiah being described as a suffering servant who is meek and lowly. The last verse in chapter 40 is one of the most inspiring verse of scripture in the Bible. Waiting requires patience but patience is not a strong virtue in twenty-first century America. We are a people of instant gratification. We want what we want when we want it. We simply don’t like to wait. Those of who have accepted Christ as our Savior must accept the fact that getting in a hurry is not the way of the Lord. God does not operate in our space of time. He has His own schedule and it will not be altered by man. If we as the faith community are to have a happy Christian life, patience is a vital component that we will need. Four things that the text offers to it’s readers that will help us acquire the patience that is needed to be a faithful and fruitful servant of the Lord.

They (I)shall renew my(Their) Strength

Wait- (noun) -the act of waiting(remaining inactive in one place while expecting something.) The text suggest that if I wait He will renew my strength. Why would I need my strength? I need strength because I am weak and fragile, subject to falter at any given moment. Why would my strength need to be renewed? My strength needs to be renewed because there will be times when I get weak or weary. My best defense is to know, and what I know has to be based on what I have heard. Has thou not known? has thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth, not neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding. He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increases strength. Can you Wait? Wait on the Lord and be of good courage and He shall strengthen the heart. My strength needs renewing because of the “light afflictions which is but for a moment, works for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. This is why I don’t faint even though the outward man perishes, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. My strength needs renewing because I need to know that it is not by works of righteousness which we (I) have done but according to His mercy, He saved me (us), by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Can you Wait?

They (I) shall mount up with wings as Eagles;

A mount is something forming stability for strengthening something. So added to the renewing of my strength is the mounting of wings as Eagles. For not only am I going to need renewed strength, but I am going to need the ability to soar above trials and tribulations. I am fully aware that they will come but because I wait on the Lord, trust Him, I have a mount up with wings type of confidence that I can soar or rise above whatever comes my way. Yes. I am going to need the assurance that because of Him, I can rise above circumstances that seem to high to climb. Yes, “How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.” Not only are the wings for escaping some of the calamities of life, but they are for protection also. “Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings.” Can you Wait?

They (I) shall run and not be weary:

We’ll be able to run and not get tired of running. We wont give in to opposition but we will persevere. “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run that ye may obtain.” You ought to be running because you are running for Jesus. Your eyes are fixed on the prize, and because of that you keep on running. I’ve been running for Jesus a long time and I’m not tired yet. The race is not granted to the swift but unto he that endures to the end. “Can you Wait?”

They (I) shall walk and not faint.

Nothing will be able to impede me from walking along the journey. “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor heights, nor depth, nor any other creature shall separate us (me) from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. So I walk knowing that if I wait on Him, He will renew my strength, my confidence in Him is solidified knowing if I walk and wait, I shall mount up with wings as eagles, I can run and not get weary, walk and not faint. All because of what He did on Calvary, He died!, yes He did..............