Waiting On The Lord - The Reactive Factor

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. They shall rise up on wings as eagles. (Isaiah 40:31) In chemistry class when you take one chemical and add a reactive chemical you get a compound that usually has a very strong reaction, sometimes an explosive reaction. The new mixture can perform in ways that just one chemical alone could never perform. The same principle used in this analogy can be used, and is certainly true spiritually. In the Isaiah 40:31 scripture the “reactive” element is “waiting on the Lord.” I don’t know anyone who likes to wait, whether it is in a grocery line, in a doctor’s office or to get tickets for a bus or train. Waiting is the antithesis for instant gratification of anything. We live in an instant society. Waiting should lend credence to gaining patience and many desirable Christian character qualities spoken of in II Peter, 1:5-8, begin with “waiting on the Lord.” Waiting is the “reactive” element to faith. Waiting causes our faith to grow, as we exercise it in our “waiting.” Waiting causes our faith to grow, as we exercise it in our “waiting.” We come to see and know Who our God is and how He blesses our faith. God possesses great patience. As our knowledge of Him grows we develop patience, and then as our patience develops we develop godliness, and become more like Him Who has all patience. One reason the Lord has great patience toward His children is because He knows we have a fallen nature. We are led to repent when we experience the Father’s patience toward us. He gives us ample time to repent. He wants to help us when we go wrong, and He takes great pleasure in watching us do what is right. As we become more like the Father we develop brotherly kindness and love. God is love, and we as His children grow into being like Him as we wait on Him in love and obedience. The Hebrew word for “wait” in Isaiah 40:31 is “qavah,” which means “to bind together by twisting; to expect; to look patiently.” In the context of this verse (vs.28-30), it is lauding the power, understanding and watchfulness of our everlasting God over our lives. He gives abundant power and strength to the faint and the weak. Even the young shall stumble and fall exhausted but….. the Amplified Bible reads, “But those who wait for the Lord (who expect, look for, and hope in Him) shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up (close to God) as eagles mount up to the sun; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.” As I have meditated on the part of the definition of “wait,” which is “to bind together by twisting,” I see a rope maker who has a thin, weak strand of grass or hemp, but also a large, strong strand which he carefully twists the two together, and by incorporating the weak with the strong he creates one super-strong rope which is able to perform the unthinkable if it were just the weak strand by itself. I see this is analogous with the spiritual life of faith. As weak and frail Christians who can do nothing by ourselves, but when we submit our will to the creator God, and we look patiently, and wait expectantly on Him (His will and His way), He will twist our weak spirit together with His all-powerful Spirit, and then we are able to soar and do incomprehensibly above all we could even imagine. We can run and not be weary, and walk and not faint; and mount up above our circumstances, where we can see the way that the Father would have us go, and the strength in which to go – all because we waited on Him. As I wait on Him I must recognize and acknowledge that the One Who twisted my weak strand into His almighty strand is the One Who is the “wisdom” in my successful plans. He is the “love” in my relationships. He is the “perfect” in my choices. He is the “wind” beneath my wings. He is the “spark” that keeps me going. He is the “fuel” that energizes and propels me to win. He is the “Water of Life” to my dehydrated spirit. He is my ALL IN ALL and “I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me” (Phil.4:13) They that “wait” on the Lord become the head and not the tail; they are above and not beneath; and they can run through a troop and jump over a wall (Duet.28:13; II Samuel 22:30)!! How’s that for a “reactive” combination – twisting my nothingness with His everything = EVERLASTING WEIGHT OF GLORY (II Cor.4:17)!