Isaiah 40:28 - 31 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is
the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or
grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and
strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young
will fall exhausted; but those who wait upon 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.
Recently at a special celebration
dinner, we had an ace waiter. When we said we were not in a hurry, he heard us and
didn’t rush. But he paid such close attention that he seemed to appear just
at the moments we were ready to order a new course or make some other request.
A skilled waiter may show us what
scripture means by “waiting upon the Lord.” We often wait passively for God to
“do something” so clear that we can’t
miss it. We may periodically offer prayers reminding God of our difficulties.
What if, instead, we waited as attentively as a skilled restaurant waiter, listening for
what God is saying in scripture, in the voices of wise people and as we pray,
and looking for ways God is at work to open up new possibilities?
Beginning a new journey can be
exhilarating and draining at the same time. Isaiah’s prescription for
exhaustion is to “wait upon the Lord.” If we wait attentively, we may hear
God’s Word of peace, blessing us for how hard we have tried, or a Word of
healing. We may feel God’s strength and peace flowing into us. God promises to renew
and revive us to continue our journeys if we are attentive “waiters.”
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