They That Wait Upon The Lord
1. "Hast Thou Not Known?"
In writing these devotionals the Lord gives me inspiration from so many different places. It may be a line in a hymn, it may be something someone has said, or it may be from an experience in my life. When I didn't know what to write on this week, I decided to continue in my Bible reading until the Lord gave me the right verse or thought. He brought me to one of my favorite places in the book of Isaiah. Let's look at what the Lord has to say about waiting on Him.
"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." (Isaiah 40:28-31)
2. When We Are Weary And Sick
I have been sick for a little while and I finially made an appointment with my doctor. I got dressed and ready to go when the doctor called and told me that I could not come in the office with a cough because I might have Covid. I told him that I didn't mind not coming in. I have been checking my temperature regularly since I started feeling bad and I have not had a fever. It seems to be head congestion. It may have been caused by being outside in the heat for several days painting the porch, or it could be the high humidity we have had during the recent thunderstorms. Since my difficulties with breathing began, the weather and allergies can cause me to feel under the weather. I explained to the doctor that I just needed to know what medicine I should take. He told me something to get over the counter, and also called in a couple prescriptions. I was glad I didn't have to go into the office because I never know what I may be exposed to from other sick people. But, it also made me think of how the doctors and other people we depend on can't always be there for us or take the time to see us. Our Lord has promised, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5) God is never too busy to hear us when we pray. I am thankful that He hears and answers my prayers when I call to Him. He gives me the strength I need when I am weary, and he can give me the healing I need. Anytime we call on Him, our God is never too busy to hear and answer our prayer. "Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice." (Psalm 55:17) We have so many promises from the Lord. "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." (Isaiah 41:10)
3. Have You Not Known? Have You Not Heard?
I hear and read the news about all the wickedness in the world today and it breaks my heart. I want to cry out to people and say, "Don't you know there is a God in heaven!" I pray continually that God will defeat the wicked and deliver His children. I can't fathom how people can be so mean and unmerciful to others. Isaiah 40 is such a great chapter as Isaiah exalts the glory of God... and compares the nations "as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing..."
"12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
13 Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
15 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.
17 All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity."
I can almost hear the exasperation in his voice as he continues...
"21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:"
Moving down to our selected verses, he asks again, "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard?..."
"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."
Yes, this world is falling farther and farther away from God. Yes, we are growing tired and weary from it all. But, we have hope! Our God is "the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator" and He "fainteth not, neither is weary". Keep trusting in the Lord, your God and your Creator! When you feel like you can't go on in this world anymore, He shall renew your strength.
4. Paul Asked, "Know Ye Not?"
As I was reading Isaiah's questions to the people, "Hast thou not know? hast thou not heard?", I thought about the writings of the Apostle Paul and how he asked, "Know ye not?" He would then go on to tell them what they should have known. Some of those questions were to the church at Corinth. I believe we can find encouragement and strength in these verses while we wait on the coming of the Lord. We are waiting, but we are not sitting idly by. Paul wanted them to give all they had, to work, to win others to the Lord. He assured them, "ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." Yes, we are waiting on the Lord, but we are to keep working while we wait.
"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible." (I Corinthians 9:24-25)
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." (I Corinthians 15:58)
5. We Don't Know What Tomorrow Will Bring
As we see the news reports of what is happening across America and in other parts of the world, we really don't know what is real, and what is being falsely portrayed by the media and other sources. But, we do know that God sees all and knows all, and that He is not surprised by the events taking place. God is still on His throne and He is still in control. It is always hard to "wait out the storm", especially when it seems to come from all sides. But, we have hope in the Lord. "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;" (Hebrews 6:19) I believe a large part of the propaganda is meant to cause division and fear, which brings weakness to any people. Over and over in the scriptures God tells us to "fear not" and to "be not afraid". Put your trust in the Lord. We don't know what tomorrow will bring. But, we know who holds tomorrow! "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." (James 4:14) And our loving Savior is preparing us a place for when this short life is over.
"1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14:1-3)
6. Waiting On The Lord To Come Again
I remember hearing sermons during my teen years that the Lord is coming again. The faithful preachers told us how bad things were going to be in "the last days". I really didn't think that I would be living in "the last days" but I believe we are closer than we realize. Paul warns us in his letter to Timothy. "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come." (II Timothy 3:1) The chapter continues with the perils of the times. We don't know when the Lord will come, but we are to watch and pray, and to be ready, as we wait on His appearing.
"42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing." (Matthew 24:42-46)
"31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
34 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." (Mark 13:31-37)
7. Many Things Can Make Us Weary
I believe that I am over the little sickness I had, but it has left me so tired. Even a short sickness can make us weak and weary, and other physical problems can have lasting impacts on our strength. A very close family member had Covid last year and it took months for her energy to return. After an illness we may want to get right back to our work and routines, but we often have to wait on the Lord, and give our bodies time to recover. Stress, whether it's emotional, mental, or physical, can make us tired and take away our strength. The Prophet Elijah had a great victory on Mount Carmel, but it took a toll on his physical and spiritual condition. The Angel of the Lord fed him and let him rest, waiting on the Lord, until he had strength to go on.
"4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.
6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.
7 And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee." (I Kings 19:4-7)
Many have financial burdens from the shut downs last year. They are also having to pray and wait on the Lord to recover. The problems going on in the world today bring on anxiety and we try to be strong and put our trust in the Lord, as we wait on Him to help us through these troubled times. Let's look at our scriptures in Isaiah again and find help as we wait on the Lord.
"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." (Isaiah 40:28-31)
8. Be Not Dismayed, God Will Take Care Of You
I hope that the scriptures this week have encouraged you during these troubled times. We can watch and pray, and put our trust in the Lord, as we wait on the Lord. Have faith that God will take care of you. Find hope in these verses and this song by Civilla D. Martin, written in 1904.
"8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body." (II Corinthians 4:8-10)
God Will Take Care Of You
1 Be not dismayed whate’er betide,
God will take care of you;
Beneath his wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.
Refrain:
God will take care of you,
through ev'ry day, o’er all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.
2 Through days of toil when heart doth fail,
God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail,
God will take care of you. [Refrain]
3 No matter what may be the test,
God will take care of you;
Lean, weary one, upon his breast,
God will take care of you. [Refrain]
