Wait Upon The Lord
Scripture Reading - Isaiah 40:29-31 KJV
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.
In the earth today we can see a growing demand on our personal time and resources. This ever increasing pull on our time, efforts and money is perhaps the primary reason so many people are mentally suffering from stress. The world’s system as a type of Old Testament Egypt concerning the children of Israel produced hard bondage for the people of God. Referring to Exodus 1:13-14 KJV we read, “And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour (strictness, inflexibility, hardness in attitude, severity): And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.” We notice in these passages of scripture that they were made to serve the Egyptians by more demanding physical labor without compassion (some flexibility). The Children of Israel were also working in areas that they were not ordained to do. We know according to Joseph’s family in Genesis 47:1-3 that the Israelites were Herdsman (Shepherds) by craft and good at their ordained profession. However what the world’s system specializes in is having people do something other than what God intended and then while they are doing that other lifeless job their unmerciful rulers would load them up with so much work that they were miserable. Notice the big difference between God and Satan, the Lord gives His people assignments of life (producing sheep – a living organism) while the evil one gives them jobs of brick and stone because he specializes in being hard hearted (a heart made of stone). This is the exact situation the children of Israel found themselves in and we today are in that exact same situation. We (ihlcc) cannot tell you of the many individuals we know that are involved with careers they really don’t have a heart for. Yes, there are some believers who like their job but even those individuals are working so many additional unpaid hours that it demotivates them when they look at their work situation overall. Yes in today’s society we can even attest to the fact that companies are being more demanding on purpose not by accident. The World System has a theory that it is financially cheaper to work your existing employees’ harder (extra hours each week) then it would be to hire more people. Of course they are not counting the extra health care cost for more sickness and fatigue. We (ihlcc) can remember back 20 to 30 years ago when companies paid for actual overtime worked but today unpaid overtime is encouraged and expected. One sad truth is that this ungodly practice has carried over into certain churches. It is very interesting how church leaders (ministers) will boast that our God supplies all their need but pressure workers to work more voluntarily because “they say” we don’t have enough money to hire more help (it’s not in the budget this year). Thus many Saints of God are tired and somewhat frustrated with their current condition in life because they desire to serve more people but instead they are making more bricks (works of their own hands – so to speak). They feel that they are working hard with hardly enough pay for the amount of work they are producing. This may not sound nice but woe to ihlcc if we preach not the truth. Moreover, many saints conclude that they see no real relief coming anytime soon, then their frustration about the whole scenario gives place for a degree of depression. Now depending upon how severe their case may be the level of frustration and depression can easily become overwhelming to the point that the dear believer cannot handle life in the joy and peace God intended. All this background was spoken first to form a framework in which to lay a foundation of God’s Truth. Specifically, for this type of circumstance we have a remedy from God’s Word which is called “Waiting Upon The Lord”. This “waiting upon the Lord” we are referring to has at least a threefold application for every saint of God. The first general meaning of this word “wait” is to serve God with all your heart instead of serving man. This is truth because knowing all that the Lord has done for us it is a lot easier to serve Him with a pure heart. We (all believers) know that God would never take advantage of us, like man does. The second meaning of the word “wait” means to inwardly come before God in an attitude of worship and praise. Remember, “waiting” upon God spiritually is to come into His Presence with singing, praise and worship for Who He Is and All That He means to us and all people. We must always remember that Jesus Christ is the Savoir of the world, not just our world. Thirdly, this word “wait” also means to literally to “wait upon the Lord” in the sense of being patient and calm. All Children of God must know that the Lord is faithful to deliver us from all hard bondage in due season but it is through faith and patience that we prevail. Remember Psalms 27:13-14 KJV which states, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. This verse is encouraging us to not give up on God by giving in to the pressures of life. We see this same type of thinking in Psalms 37:34 KJV by the statement, “Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.” Yes, the Good Shepherd (The Lord Jesus) knows that life can be pretty tough down here upon the earth but we (the Christian) is encouraged to look up for our redemption draws near. Yes, we will be tempted to become frustrated, fainthearted and fatigued but that is not our solution (answer from God). We must rise up and “wait upon the Lord” for the specific purpose of renewing our strength and settling our resolve. Yes, in the midst of a dark and depressing world the sun (The Son) always shines, therefore we must shine with Him because we are in Him to represent Him in the world. We must know that “waiting upon the Lord” is our hope, strength and foundation. Since the Joy of the Lord is our strength it is apparent to us (ihlcc) that we must spend time in His Presence to receive this strength. As one minister put it, “Spending time with God is where the great exchange happens - the Lord’s Power is transferred to us while our weakness is swallowed up in Him”. Yes, physically serving God is “waiting upon the Lord”, just like inwardly worshipping God is “waiting upon the Lord” too and thirdly “waiting for God” to deliver you from all bondage is the only right solution for the true Believer in Christ Jesus. So dear faith friend, please know who you are in Christ Jesus and take full advance of your permanent position in Him because then you will realize “Waiting Upon The Lord” is the only option for us in these last days and hours upon this earth, for remember the Lord is coming and He is coming soon. Amen!