…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 40:29-31).
What a wonderful promise for those who wait on the Lord! But how do you wait on the Lord? Is it by staying away from people sitting quietly in a solitary place? Could it be by suffering with the hope that things would change in the sweet by-and-by? I want you to know that the subject of waiting on the Lord is much more than what many have assumed over the years. Let me use a simple illustration to explain this.
If you’ve ever been to a restaurant, you’d notice some young men or women called “waiters.” They are always ready to attend to you and make sure you’re as comfortable as possible. You didn’t have to get up from your seat to get whatever you wanted; they were there at your service—ministering to your every need. All you needed to do was call on them and whatever you wanted was done. Now, what were these waiters doing to you? They were waiting on you! This is what waiting on the Lord is about too.
To wait on the Lord is to be actively involved in service in God’s Kingdom. It means to be busy about the Lord’s business of evangelizing the world. When you’re waiting on the Lord you’re committed to working for Him and with Him—you’re actively participating in the things He cares about. Like Jesus, your meat becomes the desire and urgency to do the will of God and finish His work (John 4:34).
Some people have often wondered how I’m able to handle my many responsibilities as pastor and president of a fast-growing ministry with over three thousand churches around the world. Well, I’m only waiting on the Lord. The strength to these things comes from doing everything He’s told me to do. According to God’s Word, the more actively involved you are in doing the Lord’s work, the more your strength is renewed.
Jesus said, “…My Father worketh hitherto, and I work” (John 5:17). So, waiting on the Lord really means working for and together with the Lord; that’s where the renewal of strength Isaiah talked about in the opening scripture comes from.
Prayer
Blessed heavenly Father, I thank you for granting me grace to serve you with whole-hearted devotion. I declare that as I commit myself to rendering effective service in your house, my strength is constantly renewed like that of an eagle, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Further Study
Psalm 27:14
Isaiah 40:31
(Taken by permission from Christ Embassy Church , aka Believer’s LoveWorld Ministries , Lagos, Nigeria. www.ChristEmbassy.org )
