“One-A-Week Challenge” – Week 42

“Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.”

–Isaiah 40:31 nasb

We live in a fast-paced society. Every day I speak with someone who is feeling overwhelmed with the circumstances of life. Perhaps you are feeling tired today. I want you to know that it is okay! All of us get tired. Maybe you have had a particularly difficult day, week, or month. Someone reading this is struggling with family, friends, faith, finances or something else. You are weary and worn and feel like you need some time of renewal and refreshment.

One of the privileges God has given me is the opportunity to talk with people from various walks of life on scheduled accountability calls or face-to-face meetings. Regardless of a person’s profession we all stand in need of some regular times of rejuvenation. Without a system of pressure release, we will always move toward wandering and drifting away from our desired place in life. Pressure will undeniably and unavoidably lead to stress, which will lead to fear, which will lead to anxiety, which will end in despair.

The key to dealing with this disaster is found in the first phrase of Isaiah 40:31, “Yet those who wait for the Lord …” Waiting upon the Lord is not a passive idea but rather an active, deliberate, and intentional state of mind. Don’t think about waiting on the Lord as an idle time of twiddling your thumbs and whistling into the wind. You will discover that this time of waiting is perhaps the most active time in your spiritual life. There are at least three things that will transpire during this season of waiting.

1. You will long for the Lord. The Psalmist wrote,

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for Thee, 0 God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?”
(Psalm 42:1-2)

“My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation.”
(Psalm 62:1)

2. You will listen to the Lord. Read the words of Solomon:

“But he who listens to me shall live securely,
and shall be at ease from the dread of evil.”
(Prov. 1:33)

“Blessed is the man who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts.
(Prov. 8:34)

3. You will look to the Lord. Again the Psalmist writes,

They all wait for Thee, to give them their food in due season.
Thou dost give to them, they gather it up;
Thou dost open Thy hand, they are satisfied with good.
(Psalm 104: 27-28)

The eyes of all look to Thee, and Thou dost give them their food in due time.
Thou dost open Thy hand, and dost satisfy the desire of every living thing.
(Psalm 145:15-16)

When we are waiting for the Lord there is a time of desire (long for the Lord), there is a time of devotion (listening to the Lord), and there is a time of direction (looking to the Lord). His promise is sure … He will give us new strength.