“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.” (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV)
What should you do while you are waiting for the described changes in the divine word of God, found in the opening verse? Yes, you may be waiting for a situation to get better, waiting for the Lord to intervene, waiting for the next chapter of life after one has been completed, waiting for a new door to be opened after one door has been closed, or even waiting for a period of time to end or expire after not getting what you thought you were getting, and you desire a chance to go another, right direction. What do you do in between “The Wait” and “The Renewal,” “The Mounting Up,” and “The Running?”
My advice is to copy off someone who knows what to do. Look, I know you were instructed not to copy off another student when you were in school. But when it comes to being a student of faith in action, it is okay to copy those who walk by faith. Therefore, with that being said, I will present the answer to you by means of a biblical account involving Paul and Silas. They had to wait in a Philippian prison, in the inner prison to be exact, but while they were waiting, they were praying, singing, praising, giving evidence to other prisoners in their presence that they trusted in the Lord, were not going to change their minds, and that they apparently knew that there is always something “better” on the other side of “The Wait.” The scriptures below will validate what I just said. But before you read them, remember that “The Wait” sometimes can be long. Yet, there is always something better on the other side of “The Wait.” Ask the children of Israel who waited in captivity for 430 years before their wait for a deliverer was over. Go compute the time span of the 42 generations mentioned in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew’s Gospel, and you will see that “better” is always on the other side of “The Wait.” Ask Abraham who was ready to sacrifice his only begotten son, waiting in faith, and the Lord sent a ram in the bush. If the voices from heaven who have gone home to be with the Lord could speak, they would definitely tell you that there is a “better” on the other side of “The Wait.” Ask a true believer, one who is looking in confidence for their time in Glory for an eternity. The latter people surely know that “better” is on the other side of “The Wait.”
Read the verses below before you head out to church. And then, whatever you are going through, continue going through “The Wait” and looking forward to “The Renewal,” “The Mounting Up,” and “The Running.” Enjoy worship today! Keep the faith every day! Be encouraged! Be blessed!
“A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!” (Acts 16:22-26 NLT)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King