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Wait and Renew...

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.
Isaiah 40:31 AMPC

This well-worn verse has become a source of strength, hope, and courage for believers through the millennia. There is something about waiting. Stopping. Not moving until God moves provides a blueprint for living in the Holy Spirit’s strength and might—and not in our own efforts.

The word renew—Chalaph—in the original Hebrew language of the Old Testament has several meanings. However, in our English Bible translations, its rendering implies to come on anew, to sprout again, to change for the better, or to show newness.

Don’t we want a renewal of God’s strength and power when we face challenging circumstances, when we are at our weakest, or when our hope has been dashed? Yet it is during our waiting on Him that is the condition for receiving these gifts.

Yet, unlike conventional thinking, when God’s Word speaks about waiting, it doesn’t mean the tedious wait for an amusement park ride. It doesn’t mean nothing is happening when we feel stuck and going nowhere fast. Instead, the Hebrew word translated here—Qavah—is an active word full of expectancy. Yes, it does mean to wait, but in the waiting, it’s looking forward to what is coming. And there is more…

Qavah also means to gather together, to bind up, and adhere to. Think of that in the context of being so bound up and in love with Jesus that His presence becomes your oxygen, and His strength becomes yours. We then come full circle. It’s not only while we wait in the Lord’s presence that we are transformed and made new— it is in our intimate waiting with Him that He gives us wings to soar.