Those Who Wait
“Those 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.”
—
On January 19, 2020 the first instance of a coronavirus infection was diagnosed in the United States. The past 24 months have been frightening, anxious, tedious, and long. We have joined with the psalmist crying out, “How long, O Lord, how long?”
We have been challenged to protect ourselves and our neighbors (Mt. 22:39) by wearing a mask and staying at a distance from one another. As time wore on, we began to adapt and adjust. Through it all, we have waited for the time when we can resume the life we were living two years ago. Waiting is hard, but with hope we can wait without giving up.
Around the year 587 BCE the people of Judah were conquered by the armies of Babylon and systematically deported from their homeland to work in Babylon. The people in exile waited for 50 years to return to Jerusalem.
They began to feel that God had forgotten them in their suffering, saying, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God” (Isa. 40:27).
They sang their lament, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?”(Ps 13:1-2). They had waited many long years. Their hope was weak. They were discouraged, worn down, and worn out.
Even in life’s most difficult situations, like exile or pandemic, there is hope. Sometimes all we can do is hope and wait. Hope often appears to be only a faint glimmer in the distance, a long ago promise of God. The wisdom of Psalm 37 encouraged those in exile to “Be still before the Lord; and wait patiently for him.” (Ps 37:7)
In the midst of such deep darkness and despair, the prophet Isaiah gave the exiles a reminder of hope as they waited, “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 (Isa. 40:28).”
Isaiah reminded them of what they already knew from God’s word, handed down through the generations. He said they should remember the promise of God and what it means to be God’s people.
In their long waiting they had grown weary and forgotten God, but God had not forgotten them. Isaiah offered God’s word of hope, “those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint (Isa. 40:31).”
Isaiah’s reminder still rings true in our lives today. To wait is to maintain a relationship of trust with God. To wait is to be faithful in seeking God’s presence and listening for God’s word to your broken spirit.
Have you not heard? Don’t you remember? When you are weak and exhausted, remember God’s word to you. When you are tired of waiting, remember the life-giving presence of God is with you.
Even when the struggle is great, the pain is deep, and the grief is dark, we keep going, sustained by God’s presence. In these times the presence of God, walking beside you to lift you up, is all you need.
This kind of waiting is not just bouncing back after a tough time, waiting to go back to the way things were. No, Isaiah’s vision is one of working through our challenges, becoming stronger as we do.
In prayer, our strength is renewed, our outlook on life is lifted. We find the strength we need to live our lives with hope and courage. We have the spiritual energy to go forward through it all, to walk without fainting.
In your daily relationship with God, wait for the Lord and renew your strength.
Greg Smith
Director of Legacy Ministry