Wait On The Lord

Wait On The Lord
Isaiah 40:28-31

This morning I want to bring you a message out of one of the most encouraging passages in Scripture.
You will recognize this passage because it has been used in greeting cards, inspirational posters, encouraging and comforting notes from friends and may even have been a source of strength for you in the midst of a trial in your life.
The passage is nestled in one of the brightest and richest books in the Bible, the record of the prophecies of Isaiah.
Isaiah had the distinct privilege of presiding over the reign of four kings and was instrumental in bringing his country back to the Lord.
The greatest distinction of Isaiah's prophecies is his clear and powerful predictions of a suffering Messiah.
It was the book of Isaiah that the Holy Spirit used to bring the Ethiopian Eunuch to Christ as Luke records in the Book of Acts.
I have followed Philip's example and have turned to this book to prove to many an adherent of Judaism that Jesus is the promised Messiah.
Today I want to focus your attention on just the last few verses of Isaiah 40 and notice how powerfully relevant the Scripture is.
When I read this book that was penned over 2,700 years ago, I am struck by the fact that it fits my needs today as if Isaiah has been watching a reality show of my life and was guided by the Holy Spirit to write these words for me.
Let us read our text this morning:

READ
Isaiah 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 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.
PRAY

The first thing you may notice about the passage we have just read is that it appears to be answering a question of the heart.
It is phrased so that it addresses an attitude of despair that has crept into your life.
If you read the previous verse you will see that attitude that was prevalent in Israel.
Isaiah 40:27 ¶ Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

They had been so immersed in the trials of the day and so overwhelmed by the difficulties of life that they had begun to allow doubt to creep into their conversations and more importantly, into their hearts.
The despairing attitude that God addresses has perhaps influenced you in your life as well.
My trouble is my own and God is either unaware or unconcerned.

Verses 28 and 29 are meant to dispel that attitude of helplessness immediately with a reminder of the character of God.
> We are not dealing here with a god who was fashioned by the potter's hands or the carpenter’s chisel.
This is the Everlasting Creator of the Universe.
> He is not a man that runs out of energy or interest.
He finds great pleasure in reaching out to the faint and making them powerful.
He reaches out to those who have no might at all and infuses into them the strength they need for the day.

Then we get to verse 30 where God addresses yet another wrong attitude.
The first one was an attitude of DESPAIR, and the second an attitude of PRIDE.
It may seem they are polar opposites, but in reality they are not far separated.
As a matter of fact they are inseparable.
One produces the other and they alternate in a spiraling display of self sufficiency.

Think about it:
Despair comes from the idea that we face our trials alone.
Pride is the audacity of thinking that we can or must face our trials alone.

Just as Verses 28 and 29 dispel the attitude of despair, verse 30 dispels the attitude of self sufficient pride.
Isaiah 40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
It is not because you are passed your prime that you cannot handle the pressures of the day; it is because you are human.
The human body was not built to handle the pressures and trials of this life alone.
What made you think you could?
What made you think you had to face your trials alone?
Pride has way of bringing us to our knees, doesn't it?

Now we get to the promise that makes sense of everything - "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."

God promises to renew the strength of the faint.
God promises to give us wings as eagles to soar over these problems with the serenity of a bird.
God promises to give us the endurance to run this race day after day and year after year with our eyes on the prize and with a spring in our step.
God promises to give us the power to walk on through the trials and tribulations of this life without a sign of fainting.

But wait!
Did I leave something out?

These promises are not for every helpless man or woman.
These promises are not for every faint and weary person.
These promises are not for every lady or man who reaches the end of their rope.
These promises are not for everyone who despairs, nor for everyone that finds their pride a shallow well of strength.

These promises of renewed strength, serenity, endurance and power are for those who wait on the LORD.

The promises in this passage are conditional.
We must wait on the LORD.
This is our mandate.
This is the imperative of the text.
We must wait on the LORD.

We have already seen the motivation for obeying this clear command of Scripture.
1. We must wait on the LORD because despair is a sin.
2. We must wait on the LORD because pride is a sin.
3. We must wait on the LORD because He can and will help us.

Now let us see how we can wait on the LORD:

The Scripture is replete with this idea of waiting on the LORD.
In our study through the Psalms on Thursday night we have seen it again and again.
Eighteen times the Psalmist asks God "how long?"
Twenty-eight times He says, "wait."

To give you an idea of this theme, I recall to your memory the life of Christ, so powerfully forecasted by the prophet Isaiah:

When the disciples were caught in the storm on Galilee, Jesus tarried until the "fourth watch," sometime between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. He could easily have rescued them at 9 p.m., and all could have enjoyed a good night's sleep; yet He waited.

Remember the time Jairus begged Jesus to come and heal his daughter who was at the point of death. Jesus started in that direction but paused to deal with the woman who touched the hem of His garment. He arrived at Jairus' house after the child had passed away.

Similarly, when our Lord heard that His friend Lazarus was sick, He tarried two more days in the place where He was, and Lazarus died.

Those involved in the trials could not see why Jesus did not move on their schedule.
It seems Jesus was on a different schedule than everyone else.
From the few New Testament stories I have just mentioned, we derive some of our greatest encouragement.
Each time Jesus was teaching those involved to Place themselves in His care and Pace themselves by His timetable.

What we are talking about this morning is surrender in no uncertain terms.
You must trust Him completely and obey Him while you wait.

God has carefully thought out what the very best overall timing is in your life, and His desire is to receive the greatest glory from your life, but it has to be by His schedule.

I want to encourage you this morning to place yourselves in His hands.
I want to encourage you to pace yourselves according to his timetable.
Surrender to it.

Remember, "The delays of God are not meant to discourage our faith, but to develop it,"

Isaiah 40:31 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.

Even in coming to Christ for salvation of our soul, we must place ourselves in His care with no strings attached.
Many have come to Him and have offered to go into a relationship as partners.
God doesn't work that way.
He cannot partner up with sinfulness.
He demands complete surrender:
A Recognition of sinfulness,
A Repentence of heart and
A Reliance on Him alone for salvation.

Will you Wait On The LORD?