Isaiah 40:31 “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.” (KJV)

During my childhood, the beautiful grounds of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Bermuda had a striking sundial, and it drew me as a little girl to its side, and made me think deep thoughts about time during my teen years. When the sun was out, the sundial always told the correct time. But time in sunny Bermuda went by slowly. Remember the Bermuda shorts and the beaches! We went everywhere by bike, and that takes time. But time moves so differently today. There is little waiting needed as we take off in the car and are whisked everywhere. Constantly on the go, there seems to be so little time to “wait” on God.

Waiting is done in trust as we submit to the Lord our God and meditate on His Word. Psalm 25:4a makes waiting plain: in prayer, we ask God, “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths.” (NIV) I have found that praying and listening to God can be instant or can take much time, and it involves submitting to His will and listening for His instructions.

So, I take the time and submit to God’s will during early morning devotions with this webpage, or last thing at night as I go to sleep. I like to wait on God all through the day as we walk together, the Lord and I. Then there is the middle of the night when I am awake praying. I give thanks that Jesus, my Saviour, walks with me through every hour, through every day, through every activity, and in the night hours. Jesus is with me always, as He promised. Together, we talk long and deep along the way. Jesus is present in my soul eternally; my time is His. I wait on Him.

With Jesus, there is no need to walk or run on ahead alone: Jesus is with us. Waiting is faithful trust in Jesus, so that we “see Him” through the eyes of faith. As we walk along together, just Jesus and I, the wait is natural. After all, this is Jesus! Jesus shows us the pitfalls, the next step, what to say and to whom, where to go and when. We can trust the whole day to Him as we wait literally on Him. This is the root of the peace that passes all understanding: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7 NIV) This waiting on God is the door to rest and inward peace as we wait.

Prayer: Lord, as You walk beside us through this day, we trust You to make the way ahead clear, to turn us safely around each unknown corner. Waiting on You has changed the way we plan our day, for You are our God, and we rejoice in knowing You are beside us. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your presence. Waiting on You is a delight. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Iris Ford iris_ford@telus.net
Parksville, British Columbia, Canada

Thanks to http://daily.presbycan.ca

(To access the entire “Waiting on the Lord” devotional series, please click here.)