Waiting on God

Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV) – But those who wait on 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.

In the state of Andhra Pradesh, an old woman spent 12 years waiting for her grandson to return from fishing who in fact, got lost in the storm. At the end of the long wait, the old woman was worn out, stressed, lost health and the saddest of all, she never got to see the boy. Her hopes were turned into despair. When it comes to the worldly matters, not every time can we expect our wait to be fruitful. Most of the times, waiting makes us more anxious, tired & impatient.

On the other hand, contrary to the above, Prophet Isaiah says that waiting on the Lord gives us strength. The Hebrew word for wait is ‘qâvâh’ – it literally means to linger in His presence and get entwined/knitted with Him. Also, waiting depicts that we are trusting God and His direction without taking things into our hands and trying to decide on our own. During this waiting period, we should understand that God is building us and is giving us strength to endure any crisis in life.

Let’s take the example of the Chinese bamboo plant. After you plant it, it requires daily watering & care. But you will not see the exterior shoot growing more than an inch for five years. But when the time comes, at the end of the fifth year, it begins to grow 90 feet in just 90 days…a jaw-dropping phenomena. Now, let’s ask ourselves…when did the bamboo tree actually grow, during the first 5 years or the last 90 days?

Exactly in the same way, when we are waiting on the Lord for a breakthrough or a miracle or a redemption, we may often miss to realize that God is working on us on the inside, to equip us with everything that’s required, enabling us to operate ourselves successfully on this earth. Let’s learn from the eagle how it can, not just survive the storm, but takes advantage of the storm to glide higher than the clouds, higher than the problem.

God wants us to soar! Are we willing to wait patiently on the Lord entwined with Him?