“Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
the Creator of the ends of the earth,
neither faints nor is weary,
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak,
and to those who have no might
He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
and the young men shall utterly fall,
but those who wait on 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 40:28-31 (NKJV)
Advent is a time of waiting, of preparation, of eager anticipation. There is hustle and bustle over the next few weeks but we know that our waiting will soon be over, Christmas will arrive and we’ll rejoice in celebrating our Savior’s birth once more.
However, other times of waiting may not seem joyful to us. Instead, anxiety, impatience and uncertainty often fill our hearts while we wait, especially when we’re seeking God’s guidance/direction for a major decision or when we’re longing for an answer to prayer but God seems silent. Yet the Bible tells us that when we wait on the Lord, He will renew our strength. If we trust in the sovereignty of God, if we know that the outcome is in His hands, then we can wait with hope and strength.
This passage also reminds us that God’s understanding is unsearchable. Our finite minds struggle to realize that He uses times of waiting for our good—to build our character, to strengthen our faith, to form us more in His image, to accomplish His purposes. It is hard to wait but God’s timing is not our own and we can trust that His timing is best. Even when we pray and pray and don’t seem to get an answer, we must remember that God does not forget His children as we wait for His will to be made known.
I don’t like flying so the idea of having wings like eagles isn’t particularly appealing to me. But I'm comforted by the imagery of being borne up by God and held close to Him as I wait. And by the strength He gives, we can run and not be weary, we can walk and not faint, we can persevere during our seasons of waiting. Because He is the everlasting and faithful God, we can eagerly anticipate these blessings while we wait, during Advent or any season. Amen!