"Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary." (Isaiah 40:31 NASB).

There is more to waiting for the Lord than meets the eye. You do not wait for the Lord like you wait for a bus or a train. Waiting for the Lord is the activity of readying your heart and mind for cooperating with what He is going to do in a given situation.

The Hebrew verb, 'to wait' (qavah, kaw-vaw) means to bind together (perhaps by twisting). The word was used to describe the making of rope from weaving together smaller and finer twine. We need to bind our hearts to the will of God with a progressively developing habit of trust. Each time we trust the Lord we add to the thickness of the rope. A friend of mine defined this 'heavy duty' T.R.U.S.T.- 'Totally Resting Under Severest Testing'.

'Quavah' also means to collect, to gather together, and to expect. To wait means that we take time to research and reflect upon God's character, promises and His actions in the world and bind these recollections to our heart. During a 'waiting' period we should pro-actively identify with the revealed purposes of God. Because He has shown Himself to be faithful, loving, true and just, we can surrender our wills to Him.

To wait, means that we cease from inappropriate activities and any Adamic patterns of self-justification and self-reliance that get in God's way. Instead of taking matters into our own hands, we need to let go of our anxious concerns and engage in a watchful trust in the Lord. A well trained waiter at a high class restaurant anticipates the need of the one he or she is waiting on. Before the customer makes a request the waiter is attentively watching to anticipate the need. To wait for the Lord means that we prepare ourselves to rise to the occasion of joining with Him in His next move. We are ready to see specific needs met with His supply. All we need to do is be ready to serve.

The good news is that God "gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power." (Isaiah 40:29 NASB). This power is not an additive strength but a replaced strength. The verse could be translated, those who wait upon the Lord shall 'exchange' their strength. By relinquishing ours, we receive His.

We are brought up in a do-it-yourself generation. But the Bible teaches that we cannot save ourselves. This is true not only in regards to our right standing with God but also our right living.

Let us not faint, lose consciousness of who we are in the Lord, push the panic button, throw in the towel or submit to a self-inflicted moods of weariness. We are His servants employed to do His will by His enabling power. Be ready. Catch the wind of His Spirit and let Him lift you to new heights, renewed strength and vision.

Anticipating His move,