ISAIAH 40:31 AMP – But those who wait for the LORD (who expect, look for, and hope in Him) will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings (and rise up close to God) like eagles (rising toward the sun); They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired.
So, what
does it mean to “wait for the Lord?”
If you are
anything like me, patience is NOT one of your strengths & most certainly at
the top of the weaknesses list. It is something that I most certainly have to
work on daily.
If you break
this verse down & read it from the Amplified version, it gives a bit more
clarity on what God means by “waiting on the Lord.” See the phrase in parentheses
directly after the word Lord? The Amplified version breaks down words & phrases
to give us a better understanding. Here the word WAIT mean to EXPECT, LOOK FOR
AND HOPE IN. The question I have asked myself & I hope you will ask yourself
is, “When I am waiting on the Lord, am I expecting His answer, am I looking for
His answer and am I hoping in His answer?
HEBREWS 11:1
AMP – Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for
(divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen (the conviction of their
realty-faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical
senses).
Now, here is
a scripture that is a mouthful. What I want to point out here is the phrase
HOPED FOR. Right next to the phrase, the Amplified gives you a better definition
of this word. In our own minds on a daily basis we say things like, “well I
hope so” OR “I really hope it gets better soon.” In this verse the word HOPE
does not mean what we loosely speak every day. It means that whatever we are
hoping for is DIVINELY GUARANTEED. That is more than just an “I hope so.” That
is a “most certainly, positively, absolutely will!”
The issue is
that we have the wrong mindset when it comes to waiting on God. We no longer
need to have this wringing of the hands, pacing the floor, anxiety about
waiting on God.
First of all, we need to get in His word and find out what it says about our situation. Find a scripture that applies to you & your situation. If you struggle to find the right one, ISAIAH 40:31 is perfect for any situation. Then we need to pray & quote that scripture out loud. The more we read the word out loud to ourselves, it gets down in our spirit & causes our faith to increase.
We must
learn to have an EXPECTATION when it comes to waiting on God. Expecting Him to
answer us, looking for His answer to come any minute now & knowing that
there is a definite guarantee that God will come through. No questions, no
doubt, no confusion, because those are from the enemy. Satan’s main desire is
to distract you from God’s plan for your life. Part of God’s plan is for you to
be strong in your faith in Him.
Yes, I
realize this is easier said than done. Trust me, I know this all too well.
There have been situations that I have gone through that were so difficult that
I could barely breath much less pray. But somehow, I found the strength &
prayed. The more that I prayed & read His word, the stronger I felt each
time. This process can take time but if we don’t give up & keep going, we
will come out on the other side much stronger than when we went in.
I challenge you today, to pray & ask God to change your
mindset. Change your way of thinking, change your outlook on your situation. Ask
Him to help you see your circumstances through His eyes. To the point that when
you are in that “waiting on the Lord” time in your life, you will no longer
wait in the midst of anxiety & fear but you will wait in EXPECTATION of
that God is about to do in your life
Remember, God has NOT forgotten you or your difficult
situation. He already has a plan & had that plan before the problem ever came
about. I GUARANTEE you, He will provide the answer & you will be blessed in
the process.
