Well, let me explain where i got it from at least, right?? So I'm at the office this morning and chatting with my sister from another mother in Kenya and she sends me the link to this women's devotional site. the calls weren't coming in that often so i start reading.... then the previous one... then the previous one... and they are ALL RELEVANT!! God DID say His word shall not return unto Him void, didn't He?? Anyway, long story short this one on waiting did it for me! I REFUSE to engage in the "sit around checking my watch" type waiting, I will serve and cater to my Lord and King instead. #NuffSaid #TooBlessedToBeStressed (Link at the end).
February 22, 2013
Wait Training 101
Karen Ehman
"... but they who wait for 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 (ESV)
Ever feel like God signed you up for an intense "wait training" class?
You pray. You ask. You anticipate God's answer, but like an Internet page taking a long time to load, you must wait.
And wait.
And wait some more.
I had to wait years before I became pregnant. During that time I attended baby showers while choking back tears.
I had to wait nearly three years for our
too-expensive-for-our-new-financial-situation home to sell. During that
time, I pinched pennies and lost sleep.
And I'm still waiting on many prayer requests: for a spiritually lost loved one, a family friend in ICU, a plan for my high school son's future. Waiting, waiting, waiting ...
But just as physical weight training builds strength, so does spiritual "wait training." We are promised this in Isaiah 40:31:
"... but they who wait for 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."
How can waiting renew our strength? After all, doesn't waiting seem to
sap our strength as we worry and fret and drum our fingers impatiently?
It's exhausting playing the "What if?" game in our minds:
What if this doesn't work out?
What if God's answer is "No"?
What if the thing I fear the most actually happens ... what then?
What if God's answer is "No"?
What if the thing I fear the most actually happens ... what then?
All of this worry-laden waiting drains rather than strengthens. How can
we turn this around and actually find ourselves renewed?
I have found that to shift my perspective in the waiting times
replenishes my strength. I try not to think of those times of seemingly
silence from God as waiting in the sense of sitting and anxiously
anticipating a response. But as in waiting like a butler, maid or
restaurant server.
Those who "wait on the Lord"—as in serve Him, cater to Him, help Him
accomplish His work; those who take His order and bring Him what He
wants—they are the ones who renew their strength.
They mount up with wings as eagles.
They walk and do not faint.
As we serve, we become more aware of what the One we are waiting on
desires. We become alert, attentive, and in tune with His wishes. We
begin to take our eyes off of our problems and fix them on the Lord
instead. As we do, we get a glimpse into His heart.
Then, instead of the wait sapping our spiritual strength, it is renewed
as we seek to do the Lord's will ... to make Him famous ... to give Him
glory. Even in those long, hard times of waiting for an answer, we
continue to serve Him.
Will you sign up with me for Wait Training 101?
You'll grow stronger spiritual muscles if you do. But we must commit to
this perspective: we won't just "wait on the Lord," we'll wait on Him. Trust me, the tips He leaves are out of this world!
Dear Lord, teach me to shift my perspective during those times of
waiting and doubt. May I stop fretting and worrying, and busy myself
serving You instead. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
