“They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength.”Isaiah 40:31
God’s Word is full of simple promises. Simple statements of truth that can be overlooked if you aren’t careful. The above text, is one such example. It has a cause and an effect, an action and a reaction. No hidden messages, no secret codes. It is a promise. “They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength” Isaiah 40:31.
When we are first saved, it often seems like every prayer is answered before we can ask. The peace of Jesus floods our soul every morning and showers us with blessings everyday. This wonderful time of “tasting the Lord”is precious, and it is something that we never forget.
But God is our father and ultimately He will begin to teach us the lessons that will make us strong as we grow in the Lord. Like a good parent, He is ever watchful of His children, but there will come a time, when He seems to back up and let us go on our own for a while. Like a baby’s first faltering steps, we are often scared and confused by our new “independence.” Spoiled to the comforts of His arms, we tend to cry and whine when He doesn’t seem to answer our every prayer instantly.
This is the part of being a Christian that causes some to stumble. Many young Christians are confused by this trial of waiting. To them, it seems as though God is somehow neglecting His promise of protection. And yet, as we grow as Christians, we learn that waiting upon the Lord is a keystone of the Christian faith. Though it is a struggle at times, we are made stronger by the effort of waiting. Like a baby taking his first steps, often we are stepping out on faith in a way that we haven’t had to before. This is what turns “new” Christians into old Christians.
As we take our first steps in the Lord, we often see the faithful soldiers of the cross and marvel at their strength. They seem to weather the toughest storms with a calm assurance that astounds us; taking life as it comes and trusting Jesus with everything. We tend to assume that the way we see them now is how they have always been. This is not so.
Like us, there was a time when they had not taken that first baby step of faith. Perhaps the trial they faced was a bit different than our own, but the prescription was the same. “They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength” They waited, the Lord came and their strength was renewed.
We can take courage when we see these faithful soldiers. They are living testaments that God will preform His word. In their lifetimes, they have waited many times, and God has always came and renewed their strength. Through trials of death, times of need, and seasons of despair, He was there all the time.
Indeed, “They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength” Isaiah 40:31. |
