Renewed Strength

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; they shall walk and not faint.

                                             Isaiah 40:31

Cars run out of gas. Batteries run out of power. Human beings run out of strength. Each one of us, then, needs access to a source of renewable energy. Food and rest restore the body, but where do we find inner strength?

The well-known words of the prophet Isaiah are quite literally a godsend: They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.

Few words are more contrary to contemporary American culture than Isaiah’s prescription for renewed strength. Waiting, it seems, just isn't in our DNA. We are the people of the quick-fix, consumers demanding instant gratification. We are forever stepping on the gas in our rush to move forward.

What we need to learn, according to Isaiah, is the art of waiting upon God, a spiritual discipline insisted on in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation.

This waiting should not be equated with inactivity. Rather it is a positive act of entrusting our hopes, expectations, and plans to God. It is a prayerful exchange of our wisdom for God’s, our timing for His. It's the art of offering prayer and thanksgiving while simultaneously practicing the virtue of patience.

The rewards of such waiting are magnificent: renewed strength and wings like eagles.