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. Isaiah 40:31 KJV
The Context:
Once again, the point is made about sin. God hates sin and will punish it, no matter in whom it is found. Israel was His chosen people, yet when they went into idolatry, He handed them over to their enemies to oppress them. However, in His mercy, He set a time for the oppression, and when the time was ended, He redeemed them from the hands of their enemies. This is God: of mercy and judgment; of love for man but hatred of sin. His mercy is eternal, as is His judgement also, but for man, there is an earthly end to mercy and a finality to judgment. As God reminds me of whatever I need to address in my life, I must pay attention to it and make amends. My eternity depends on it.
There is a grave danger in not knowing who this God is. For all of humans, there is a God-shaped vacuum in all of us that something or someone must occupy. For some, it is influence, prestige, possession, power or position. Men live and die by their desire to be seen and heard and so make compromises along the way to achieve these. Yet, God is saying: none of these things can take my place. I am not an object you can define; I am the God of all the earth. I am not an image you can keep in place or hold down with chains; I am the Almighty God.
The Message:
So, God introduces Himself to us. So many things are said of God in the whole chapter, but the focus is on today's extract. Where there is a BUT it is good to look at the words that come before it. With God, human ability is limited. With God, things like position and power are useless. Men run after the things of this world, yet are not satisfied; it means that what man needs isn't the things of the world. That is why even the glory of the youth, which is their strength, will fail miserably when it comes to the things of God.
You don't serve God first by your strength, but by His grace. That is why the starting point is a total dependence on God to supply that which you need to serve Him acceptably. The words: 'wait on God' shows a waiter standing alert, waiting for instructions from the one who is being served. If He says just stand, waiting on Him means just standing there. If He says go do this, waiting on Him means doing it without delay. The waiter isn't the master of his time: his service is at the pleasure of the master. In this age of visibility, where men seek to be rewarded on the basis of what they know or how they speak or how they look, this may not be a popular message, but if I will truly serve the Master, I must serve on His terms, as He commands, not as I please.
Waiting takes patience and discipline, things this world is not familiar with. Waiting means trusting the Wisdom of the One who you are waiting on. It is only in God that the man who waits is the One who receives strength to soar, run and walk and not be weighed down by the world's demands. This present age that rewards men on the basis of who comes in first has no place in God. You cannot do God's work with tools He has not provided, and you can't make a demand on God's resources if you have not yet learnt to wait for Him to command your assignment.
The Response:
As I wait, I receive strength for the work the master has commissioned. Can I dare leave God's presence, after receiving my mandate, and then go do my own thing? When I have received the strength and guidance I need, there is no limit to what God can achieve in and through me. Even after God supplies what I need, He allows me to move at the leg of my faith and grow in Him. Where the work requires soaring, His strength is able to keep me there. Where it requires running or walking, His supply is able to keep me where He wants me to be, doing what He wants me to do, and without losing sight of the most important part of all these: I am at work for God, so all I do must please the One who has commissioned my work.
Man's ability has an expiry date. Man's connections and influence have limitations. No matter how gifted, talented or connected you are, God's work can go on without those things. What you need to do God's work is that which God supplies, not what you can provide. It's never about me; it's all about what God can do. He can do the most extraordinary with the most ordinary. It matters that God is involved. His time of favour is here.
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