“But those who wait on 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.”
All the attributes that are necessary to succeed at anything are covered in this verse. Strength, endurance, persistence, energy; and they all come from waiting on the Lord.
The anthem of the high school I attended was based on Isaiah 40: 31, we sang it every week 🎼 “teach me Lord, teach me Lord to wait”; without ever thinking about what it meant.
What does it mean to wait on the Lord?
I used to think it meant stop everything, but God doesn’t desire for us to just be sitting around doing nothing in the name of waiting. Faith without works is dead (James 2: 17). It means to be in expectation. Other bible versions use the word “hope” in place of “wait.” When we are waiting on someone, we know they’re coming, it’s just a matter of time. We wait patiently in anticipation that God’s purposes will be fulfilled. The state of waiting, of hoping, of expectancy renews our energy. Gives us strength, endurance, persistence, and energy for our journey.
As a young person, I often wondered what my purpose was. I was searching for the thing I could call my passion, and I never could quite put my finger on it. I was waiting for this dramatic shift to take place. I prayed, studied books on purpose and passion and still was at a loss. Now looking back, my purpose was being revealed to me daily through my natural interests. The things I simply gravitated towards, not the things I wanted to gravitate towards. Dr. Dharius Daniels gave this explanation to the question, “How do you know that your dream is God given? He said, “If the dream has you. Not if you have the dream.” There’s a very significant difference. When the dream has you, it won’t let you go, even if you try and run away. The purposes of God won’t be put out like a flash in a pan fire. However, when you have the dream, anything can make you let go of it. The smallest hardship and you quit. It seems to have no real consequence.
While we wait on the Lord, let’s till our land. Sometimes it’s that simple. Whatever you have found to do, keep doing it while in expectation that God will show up. Work with all your might (Ecclesiastes 9: 10), it’s the only way to enjoy rest. Restlessness is a sign that we are not giving our present moment our all. Show up everyday. Be committed to the now. It’s a season of preparation for tomorrow. We don’t even know what tomorrow will look like, but we have hope, and expectation that God is in control. God alone knows the plans He has for us, we just need to know that whatever we are experiencing is not designed to harm us. God’s endgame is for us to prosper and have a future (Jeremiah 29: 11). We must hold on to that promised.
“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.” ~ Proverbs 28: 19
Alignment with the will of God is EVERYTHING. We don’t need to worry about the mechanics - the how, what, when. We must simply wait upon the Lord, He will reveal it along the journey. Our job is just to bring your ‘A game’. Bring our best. To fine tune ourselves to be excellent where we have been placed. One good habit at a time. Excellence will always unlock favour.
There are many things that are there to distract and confuse us so that we forgo our assignment. These things are everywhere, in the media, social media, friends, family; constantly spewing out messages to discourage and cause us to lose esteem. The only way to know the truth from the lies of the enemy is to be in the word. We read our bible to remain sane in an insane world. We read our bible to be able to distinguish between lies and the truth. It’s the only way. If we hear lies enough, it’s easy to mistake them for truth. Study the word of God. Meditate upon it.
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” ~ 2 Timothy 2: 15
Let God lead, just follow. When we lead, we have to come up with the plan. The problem with coming up with a plan to a place you have never been is that every route looks like it could be the way. We don’t have the whole map and this leads to a lot of bad calls, wasted energy, and wasted time. It’s wiser to follow the All Knowing. We just have to listen, tune our ears and eyes to hearing and seeing what God is saying. God is always speaking, we have to learn how to listen.
“There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.” ~ Proverbs 19: 21
Remove the limitations of yourself, but more importantly off God. Just say YES, here I am Lord send me (Isaiah 6: 8). We all think we are inadequate for the great task the Lord has for us. The task is too big for our abilities, but we forget that in our weakness God is strong (2 Corinthians 12: 9 - 10). In business they say, when looking for a partner, partner with power. God is power. Even Moses could only see his limitations, and God had to remind him who the Creator of ALL things was (Exodus 4: 11). Whatever our weakness, God’s power is able to cover it; our contribution is an obedient and willing heart. That’s all. God already knows our imperfections, they have all been accounted for. Praise God!
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" ~ Isaiah 6: 8
Sometimes we have to let go of fear. Fear of failure. Fear of what others will think. Fear that we’re not good enough. All of which are lies by the way. If God has chosen you for the task; failure is impossible when God is in the equation. Others will think what they think even if you do nothing. You are more than adequate for the task. To not pursue the calling is to rob humanity of your contribution. There are people whose lives are tied to your calling. It’s not about you. More importantly, the master regarded the servant who buried his talent in the ground as wicked. It’s one thing to let yourself and other people down. It’s a whole different thing to be considered wicked by the Almighty. Obedience is greater than sacrifice.
“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever.” ~ John 14: 15 - 16
Are you waiting on the Lord in expectation while doing the work set before you?
It’s not in vain. Stand on the promises of the One who cannot lie. God is faithful.
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