TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• But they who wait for 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. (Isaiah 40:31 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Last night, I slept on the couch because I woke up around midnight with foot cramps and didn’t want to disrupt my husband with my restlessness. I think the problem stems from my new walking shoes. I walked two miles last night after standing all day at my desk. It was my second time wearing this new pair of shoes and normally, I go for my walks in the morning before I’ve stood on my feet all day. I think the combo was a bad idea. So in the wee hours of this morning, not only did I make myself a commitment to only walk in the mornings, I put in a request for a virtual fitting to make see if perhaps I got the wrong pair of shoes. I should have just scheduled the virtual fitting in the first place, but I didn’t want to wait and be patient.
It’s that lack of patience that gets many of us in trouble, right?
Today, let’s go to Isaiah 40:28-31. It says, “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 to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for 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.”
I am well-acquainted with this passage. I graduated from a Christian high school in 19(mumbling sounds) and Isaiah 40:31 was our school verse. But it’s a verse that’s taken me a lifetime to fully understand (and am still learning) because I’m like the little kid at the zoo. I want to skip ahead of my Father who is asking me to wait and let Him lead. I don’t like to wait and I want to hurry up and get to what is next.
But in this passage, we learn about the benefit of waiting for God’s timing. I get tired; He doesn’t. And like the good, good Father He is, He knows what I need. He wants me to wait on Him and His timing so that I will be fully equipped for what lies ahead. He knows that if I will wait on Him, I’ll find strength in Him where my own strength will fail me.
Right now, we’re all experiencing some kind of impatient fatigue. We are tired of being home. And we’re tired of inaccurate reporting. We are restless and we don’t know who or what to believe. Arguments and protests are popping up—extend stay at home! Reopen the country! Whichever camp you’re in, the bottom line comes down to this—our good, good Father knows what we need. He wants us to wait on Him and trust His timing so that we will be fully equipped for what lies ahead. That’s not to insinuate that God is on the stay-at-home side, but whether we are at home or reopen the country, God knows that if we will wait on Him—if we will trust in Him alone—we’ll find strength where our own strength will fail us.
This is a season not just for flattening the curve but testing our patience. And our Heavenly Father is patient. Maybe He’s asking you to be patient too. And again, it’s not necessarily patience about being at home… but patience with your family and loved ones… patience as we wait out the impact on our economic futures… patience as we get restless… patience as God works on our hearts to make us more like Jesus.
During this time, wait for the Lord. Don’t skip ahead of Him. Let Him do the leading. Be patient as He gives us strength to run and not be weary; to walk and not faint.
Today, as you pray, thank God that He never gets tired or weak. Thank Him that He is patient and kind. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you wait on the Lord in all circumstances knowing that He will equip you for whatever lies ahead.
SHARING ••• Please share with others! Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. ***Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
