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; they shall walk, and not faint.
(Isaiah 40:31)
Gardeners are familiar with that anticipatory period of waiting between planting the seed and seeing signs of the first shoot peeking through the soil, and then waiting some more before the crop is ready for harvest. During the waiting period, the plant roots go deep, reaching for the moist, nutrient rich soil below. During this time, the growing plant becomes sturdy and strong and more likely to survive any harsh elements above ground. All the gardener can do is wait, and hope.
Seasons of waiting have great potential for spiritual growth and harvest. Many characters in the Bible had to wait years before God’s promise came to pass (David, Joseph, Elias, Hannah, Abraham etc.). The prophet Isaiah reminds us: “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; they shall walk, and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).” God often wants us to wait because he is working out details for our good. If we try to hurry things up, we just create a mess. This type of waiting is bathed in hope, and hope is a person. It is Jesus Christ. It means waiting with total dependency on him, which means, we can trust him to follow through on his promises (Numbers 23:19).
These last few months have made many of us weary of waiting; what with this never- ending pandemic, unemployment, relentless politics, corruption, confusion, violence and… you name it! Many of us are tired of being tired, but the Spirit of God urges believers to wait and to hope in God. Waiting requires a special kind of grace because we are a “want it right now kind of people,” and yet these seasons of waiting are designed to by God to strengthen our faith so we can withstand the uncertain times that still loom ahead of us.
As we begin this new week, let us ask God to teach us how to wait, and to hope in him alone, and let us continue to plant seeds of faith, care, respect, compassion, honesty, and trust as we look expectantly for his coming. And be certain of this, as we wait faithfully, he who promises to do so, will strengthen us.
Almighty God, I confess that waiting is not an easy thing to do, but I ask that you would teach me to wait and trust that you will come through in your time. I ask this, in Jesus’ name. AMEN!