So many aspects of the animal world take your breath away. God’s creativity is displayed in the many varieties, shapes and sizes of the vast Animal Planet. The eagle, our national bird, is a symbol of strength and majesty. Its eyesight is 8x stronger than a human and its grip 10 times stronger. It creates the world’s largest nest, some reaching 10 feet in diameter and weighing up to 2000 lbs. Scripture tells us in Isaiah 40:31 that by waiting on the Lord, we can fly with wings like eagles.

As a society and as individuals, we do not wait well! We live in a culture that desires instant gratification. But God doesn’t work that way. We pray, but our answer doesn’t often come immediately. We may then resort to our own devices in trying to bring about a result or solution, but when nothing works, we are back to the wait. The wait can be short, or it may be years. Waiting is difficult.

What we need to understand is that there is purpose in the waiting. Waiting gives time for growth. First, God may need to put you on pause for a while. In waiting God forces you to stop; He offers rest. He uses that time to recharge your batteries. Waiting also refines your character. Sometimes an attitude adjustment is needed. Waiting allows God to broaden your vision so you can see the situation during the wait in a positive way. Waiting refocuses your purpose. Difficulties and tragedies that we endure and wait through refine and strengthen us in a way that could never have happened without the wait. 

How you wait is key to the process. If you’re just hanging on and waiting for life to begin, you’ve got to change your thinking and learn to live while you wait. Otherwise, you will be waiting to live for a good portion of your life. The verse from Isaiah implies that “those who wait for the Lord” will renew their strength. In English we see waiting as a STOP sign. In Hebrew, the text of the Old Testament, waiting means trust, fixing your eyes on God. As you commune with God and focus on your relationship with Him, the wait isn’t something to endure, it’s a growing, living process that brings about positive results in you. Whether or not you get the answer you want to your prayer, you grow in the wait.

The Bible is full of examples of men and women who waited on God. They are heroes of our faith: Abraham and Sarah, David, Elijah, Ruth, Samuel, Mary and Joseph, John. Hebrews says we are surrounded by a great crowd of witnesses who endured and persevered. We can draw from their experience and be encouraged and cheered on by their faith. We can also draw strength from the crowd around us, our brothers and sisters in Christ. We all share the experience of waiting in some area of life. Sharing struggles, experiences and stories with one another brings comfort and helps us during the wait. The wait is necessary!

Scriptures – Isaiah 40:31 (NRSVUE); Romans 5:3-4 (NLT); James 5:11 (NTFE); Isaiah 64:4 (LB); Hebrews 12:1 (NLT); 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NCV); 2 Peter 3:9 (NCV); Colossians 1:11 (NCV)

Verses – …but those 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. (Is 40:31) We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. (Ro 5:3-4) For since the world began no one has seen or heard of such a God as ours, who works for those who wait for him! (Is 64:4)

Questions – How well do you wait? Describe a time of waiting and the outcome. How has waiting brought about growth? Are you in a time of waiting now? If so, what is your prayer? What advice do you give to someone in their time of waiting?

Prayer – Dear Lord, work in me as I wait for You. Allow my heart and mind to be open to the attitude adjustment that is needed and help me see the situation as You see it. Let me trust in Your perfect timing and rest in You! In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.