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

Wait: to allow time to go by, especially while staying in one place without doing very much, until someone comes, until something that you are expecting happens, or until you can do something.

Most of us do not like waiting. We make it on time to our Medical appointment and then sit for what seems like hours before our name is called. We pop into the supermarket for a carton of milk or a loaf of bread and end up in a lineup where everyone is ahead of us is price checking or having trouble with their cards. When driving, it seems like it takes forever for the traffic lights to change.

I have been watching some of the Olympic Games. The competitors have a lot of waiting time. They do their routine and then wait to see if they have qualified to enter the competition. One by one, those chosen to perform do their routine again and watch the board to see how they have scored. All the performers strive to do their absolute best, but the judges decide who will win. Only three will get a medal. So, they wait and hope for the best.

Paul probably was referring to the games in his day when he wrote the following in I Corinthians 9:24-25:

"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible."

Isaiah 40:3l tells us that receiving strength from the Lord is available for all who will wait on Him.

There are many instances in the Bible where God called someone for a specific purpose, but required a period of waiting before it was fulfilled.

We will talk about several this week and consider what they did in their waiting time.

Thought For Today: For what are you waiting? What are you doing about it in the waiting time?

Devotion by Anne Johnston