Learning to Wait
Every parent knows the sound of impatience. A child desperate to get on with the next activity tugs at your sleeve, bouncing with urgency, until at last you say—perhaps more sharply than intended—“Wait.” To the child, waiting feels like wasted time. To the parent, it is often necessary for safety, timing, or something better still to come.
Isaiah 40:31 speaks into that same tension of impatience and trust:
“But those who wait for the LORD will renew their strength; they will rise up on wings as eagles, they will run and not be exhausted, they will walk and not be weary.”
Waiting for the Lord is not simply about killing time until God finally acts. The Hebrew sense of “wait” carries the idea of hoping, trusting, and actively depending on God. It is less about standing still and more about leaning in.
When life feels overwhelming—when energy is depleted and answers are slow to come—we long for renewal. Isaiah reminds us that renewed strength is promised, but it is discovered in waiting. Not frantic striving. Not anxious rushing ahead. Waiting.
Illustration:
An eagle does not constantly flap its wings. Instead, it waits for rising air currents—thermals—to lift it higher. The eagle must be alert and responsive, but it does not create the wind. It trusts it. In the same way, waiting on God is learning to recognise and rely on God’s movement rather than exhausting ourselves with constant effort.
So what do we do while we wait? We pray. We listen. We remain faithful in the small, ordinary steps—walking before we run, trusting before we soar. Waiting shapes our character, deepens our faith, and aligns our timing with God’s purposes.
Challenge:
This week, notice where impatience shows up in your life. Instead of pushing through immediately, pause and pray: “Lord, help me to wait on you here.” Ask what God might be teaching you in the waiting rather than asking only how to escape it.
Prayer:
Faithful God,
we confess that we often rush ahead of you, trusting our own strength rather than yours. Teach us to wait—not with frustration, but with hope. Renew our strength as we trust your timing. Help us to walk faithfully, to run with perseverance, and, in your time, to rise on wings like eagles.
Amen.
