In this graphic, soul-stirring section of the book of Isaiah there is enshrined one of the most needed messages for today. Chapter 40 deals with comfort, and presents the God who is incomparable in His strength and sympathy. The content of the chapter is magnificent for its richness of revelation in the development of the theme.
The closing verse of the chapter gives to us the secret of spiritual strength. “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” (Isa. 40:31). Though the youths (a general term) and the young men of military age falter and fail, they that wait, as Delitzsch says, “they shall gain fresh force.”
The Great Essential
One of the most difficult things in life is to follow the counsel of the prophet: “wait upon the Lord.” To wait is always trying to the flesh. Yet as Christians we know that unless there is tarrying there will be no triumphing. This was the lesson taught to the early Church in the city of Jerusalem (Lk. 24:49). The more we count on the power of the Spirit of God, the more we shall know of the life that pleases God, a life that is operative in the production of fruit for God. This is an imperative need among the Lord’s people. Life would be enriched, homes more happy, quarrels prevented, if we knew the art of tarrying at the throne of God. How often we act in haste and learn to repent at leisure.
Recall again the words of the Lord Jesus to Martha regarding the quiet place at His feet, “one thing is needful.” What a word for an age of beehive activity and ceaseless running to and fro!
While there are several different Hebrew words expressing the ideas of waiting, the one used here, gavah, is most illuminating. It means to bind together, to collect, and so has the figurative sense of expectation. Moses, the servant of God, knew something about waiting; David also in the wilderness, Daniel in exile, Paul in Arabia, and even Christ in the seclusion of Nazareth.
Years ago I remember reading a sign in a well-known shoe clinic, “Repairing done while you wait.” So in our lives today we can experience this glorious reality. “It is no vain thing to wait upon the Lord.”
The Grand Exchange
The idea here is not that we have something to renew, but rather exchange. The word means to follow, or to go in the place of another; to pass from one place to another. Thus, we shall exchange our poverty for His power, the garment of our weakness for the clothing of His strength. Like the mantle of Elijah that fell upon Elisha, so we shall know, “His strength is made perfect in our weakness.” As we wait in the presence of the Lord, life will take a new color, service will be marked by a new impetus and we shall apprehend that for which we have been apprehended.
Why is it that so many break down in the work of God? Why is it that so many carry on in the work of Christ in such a shiftless, easy-going manner? The answer is found in the verb, “wait.” Only in waiting is fresh force gained; indolence, sloth and carelessness are exchanged for steadfastness, activity and sobriety. To all of us will come periods of depression, defeat and even despair. The devil’s master tool is discouragement and for such there is only one cure. We must look away from our own human limitations and self-reliance to the One who alone “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Eph. 3:20).
The Glorious Experience
To all who follow along the path of waiting on God there will be the dawning of a bright and glorious morning. Just as we have life at its brightest and best in Philippians, so here we have God’s formula for spiritual strength. In place of descent there will be ascent; instead of lagging there will be running; in spite of the tendency to sit down or stand still there will be the persistence of walking.
It is the life of mounting. The Christian who exchanges mere dependence in his ability, talents, and resources for the all-sufficiency of God will first of all ascend into the hills of God, the source of all strength, He shall be like the eagle that is characterized by three things—swiftness of flight, keenness of scent, and power of vision. To live in the secret place of the Most High is to have a life of communion that enjoys the atmosphere of heaven. The life of vision beholds things from the viewpoint of God and not so much from that of man. Life will be separated from the questionable things which dog the footsteps of so many. How important to remember that God likens the life that ascends to that of an eagle. The eagle life is the symbol of youth (Ps. 103:5); it is the life that soars (Prov. 23:5); the life that is swift (Deut. 28:49); and the life that sees (Job 39:29).
It is the life of running. To run for God will involve the discipline of appetite, ambitions and associations. In an age when many are fainting and others have grown weary, our solemn task is to run for God. We are to be people with a message and on important business for the King. It will cost us preparation beforehand, perseverance during, and patience until the work is finalized. We shall guard ourselves from anything and everything that impedes and hinders our Christian race (Heb. 12:1-2). What prevents me in my work for God and the gospel? Is it my business, home cares or numerous engagements that sap and undermine my usefulness and the fulfilling of the will of God? Is there a way whereby God’s interests can be foremost? Yes, the way of waiting upon God. It simply means to train your mind and spirit to the habit of drawing from God life and stability, wisdom and light, inspiration and sustaining power, at all times and in every circumstance of life.
It is the life of walking. The last experience of the prophet mentioned here is walking. It is the most difficult for it implies slow progress, steady persistence and the life of pilgrimage. Its characteristics are pursuit after God, submission to God, humility before God, occupation with God, and the daily realization of God. Such is the invincible life that faithfully plods on in season and out of season. While many go in for the life of heavenly elevation in mounting up to the hills of God, or the life of divine enthusiasm in running in the ways of God, so few enroll for the life that walks with God by means of consecrated persistency. It is consecration that does not lift us out of life, but teaches us how to live the life that is life indeed.
What counts for God, after all, is not talk but walk, the quiet, godly, consistent walk year in and year out before God and the world. It is a life that keeps in living touch with the Almighty by staying the soul on such eternal, weighty words: “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him”; “Wait, I say, on the Lord”; “In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up”; “Trust in the Lord”; “Delight thyself also in the Lord”; “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him”; “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him”; and “They that wait on the Lord.” Living and meditating on such holy words helps one to rise out of weakness into strength, out of despondency into joy, out of turmoil into peace, out of deadness into life. It will prove the blessedness of God’s word: “They shall mount up with wings as eagles; and they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.”
Written by Leslie S. Rainey