Yesterday's Bible Study |
Isaiah 40 is an encouraging declaration of the hope we have in God. Addressed to Israelites who were exiled into Babylon after the fall of their kingdom, the Psalm proclaims that God is with them and has a plan to restore Israel. Today's verse, which is from the end of the Psalm, promises that those who wait for the Lord will be given strength to endure. We'll break this verse down to understand it better.
It begins by defining whom it refers to: they that wait upon the Lord. "They" are distinguished by an action: waiting. Although it may seem unusual to think of waiting as doing something, in this verse waiting is not indicative of inaction--especially when you wait well--because it consists of rejecting anxious thoughts and the temptation to jump into action. Waiting upon the Lord means resolving not to move until He moves, which requires discipline sustained by prayer.
Those who do wait for the Lord will have their strength renewed. The verse gives several metaphors that demonstrate this strength: They will mount up (fly) with wings like eagles, and run and walk without becoming weary or faint. Knowing the Lord gives us strength--a supernatural strength that doesn't make sense to the world. It expands our perspective so that we can see past our period of waiting and fills us with the hopeful expectation that the Lord is going to move.
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Isaiah 40 is an encouraging declaration of the hope we have in God. Addressed to Israelites who were exiled into Babylon after the fall of their kingdom, the Psalm proclaims that God is with them and has a plan to restore Israel. Today's verse, which is from the end of the Psalm, promises that those who wait for the Lord will be given strength to endure. We'll break this verse down to understand it better.
It begins by defining whom it refers to: they that wait upon the Lord. "They" are distinguished by an action: waiting. Although it may seem unusual to think of waiting as doing something, in this verse waiting is not indicative of inaction--especially when you wait well--because it consists of rejecting anxious thoughts and the temptation to jump into action. Waiting upon the Lord means resolving not to move until He moves, which requires discipline sustained by prayer.
Those who do wait for the Lord will have their strength renewed. The verse gives several metaphors that demonstrate this strength: They will mount up (fly) with wings like eagles, and run and walk without becoming weary or faint. Knowing the Lord gives us strength--a supernatural strength that doesn't make sense to the world. It expands our perspective so that we can see past our period of waiting and fills us with the hopeful expectation that the Lord is going to move.
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