TOPIC:“Waiting Has Its Rewards”
by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap
TEXT:Isaiah 40:28-31
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up
with wings like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk,
and not faint” (40:31)
I am absolutely convinced that all of us as Christians need regular times of waiting on the Lord. The ministry of waiting has a prominent place in the Word of God. Both in the Old Testament and New Testament we find numerous examples of people who waited on God. Isaiah the prophet was right on target when he declared: “Since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for Him” (Isaiah 64:4, NLT). It is in the waiting that God does His mightiest work. I ask: Have you learned that to be true in your own life?
“Wait” or “waiting” are fine words. For those who did it the effect on their lives was transforming. They experienced a powerful relationship with God. Jacob practiced it. He declared: “I have waited for Thy salvation” (Genesis 49:18). Job practiced it. He said: “All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come” (Job 14:14). David practiced it. He wrote: “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalms 37:7). Jeremiah practiced it. He stated: “It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord” (Lamentations 3:26).
In the New Testament the early disciples were told to “wait for the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4). That was revolutionary! The Apostle Paul states that we as believers are “waiting for the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23). And to the Thessalonians Paul describes how they were “to wait for His Son from Heaven” (I Thessalonians 1:10). That will be transforming! You see, God's Word is filled with people who waited on God for one reason or another.
From our text we find Isaiah the prophet offering words of encouragement as he addresses the children of Israel who are in captivity in Babylon. In their discouragement and despair he offers them a message of comfort. Let's hear his encouraging words again: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint.” Let's consider from these words of Isaiah the eternal rewards that come from waiting upon the Lord.
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