Are You Waiting on the Lord? by James Ryle

“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).

The imagery of the language here is not only beautiful, it is astounding. For its unfolds to us the secret of a full and meaningful life. It shows us in the simplest of ways what it takes to be a man or woman who enjoys the bounty of a life that is well lived.

The secret is found in the Lord’s presence — as we wait upon Him.

How few there are who will wait! Especially in these days of hurry and worry. We now live in those days that the prophets of old foretold, when people “run to and fro throughout the earth.”

Hustling about for the deal of a lifetime they boast too much, pray too little, act too soon, think too late, and change too slowly. Eventually they bowl over, burn out or blow up — because they were built for life of a different kind; a life well-lived in the blessings of the Lord.

Did you know that there is a better way? You can experience a renewal that brings such a supply of God’s blessings that you “fly like an eagle!”

Look at the verse again. “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.”
It all hinges on that one word: wait. The word means “to bind together” — like the strands in a rope, intertwining together.

Waiting upon the Lord is an exercise full of purpose and action.  There is power in this season of “intertwining” with the Lord. An awesome merge is occurring in which a great exchange will take place.

“they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31).
When things seem at their lowest, God is often preparing us for that which is highest. When we feel the farthest away, that’s when we are closer than we realize. When we think all is lost and there is no hope, we are actually on the verge of a great breakthrough to a bright and wondrous season.
That’s the sentiment of this poetic passage of Scripture. By yielding our lives to the process of waiting, especially when everything else around us is on the move, a great exchange is taking place.

The Bible says, “they shall renew their strength.” The word renew means to exchange; to pass from one to another. In other words we are exchanging something with the Lord — our strength, for His!
Where we once were weak, He gives us His strength. Where we once were faint, He makes us vigorous. Where we once were unstable, He makes us firm. Where we once were fruitless, He increases our capacity to produce — even beyond what we thought possible.
The words of the old Gospel hymn, by William T. Sleeper, perhaps sum it up best –

Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night,
Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
Out of my sickness into Thy health,
Out of my want and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm,
Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
Out of distress to jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Into Thy blessed will to abide,
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair into raptures above,
Upward for aye on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Into the joy and light of Thy home,
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee