GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE THAT WAIT

Pastor Thomas Smith   -  

“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 40:31

This verse has been a source of great comfort and strength to many of us. Isaiah speaks to the heart of those who have become weary in their walk. He begins the context a few verses earlier with the words, “the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary” (Isaiah 40:28). God has never been weak and faint, nor has He ever known exhaustion. The prophet continues, “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength” (Isaiah 40:29). God, who is never weary, can give strength to the weak. Isaiah 40:30 says, “Even the youths shall faint and be weary.” There is no such thing as a person who is strong enough in his or her own ability, or in such good condition that he can avoid weariness and fatigue. All of us need God’s help and power, and God wants to give us strength when we are weak.

How is it that we can draw upon God’s endless strength? “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength.” God promises to strengthen us as we wait upon Him. When we come to God in our weakness and wait upon Him in prayer, He exchanges His strength for our weariness. How often we are reminded of this simple truth: God wants us to depend upon Him. It is so important to learn this vital principle. Our Lord wants us to look to Him first as the Source of our strength, our wisdom, our power, our compassion, etc.

Because we are weak and weary does not mean we are useless. It only means that we need Him to strengthen us. One can only wonder how many people have given up on some Christian venture because they saw themselves as being too weak to continue. Or, how many have been discouraged to the point of quitting because they felt too powerless or faint to complete some project. The answer is not in quitting, but rather in waiting on the Lord.

GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE THAT WAIT. God promises to reward the person who waits upon Him. He enables us with the ability to “mount up with wings as eagles…run, and not be weary; . . . walk, and not faint.” When you feel too faint to continue, don’t quit! Take some time to “wait upon the LORD.”