This particular one was about hope.
Hope is something I thought I understood. Unfortunately, if I'm honest about how I've applied hope in my life, I would have to say it's been about being prepared for the worst but hanging in there just in case the best happens...
Ironically, when asked what my favorite verse in the Bible is, I can answer confidently, "Isaiah 40:31." I don't even have to think about it. It's just always been my favorite.
"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up on wings as eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not faint."
Only recently did I start looking at this verse closely and wondering what it is that makes it so special to me.
It could be that it's such an empowering verse, filled with the image of being lifted by the Lord out of darkness and weakness. Or, possibly that it evokes the idea of leaving behind the weight of my burdens, to fly into the freedom that God provides.
Both are interesting ways to look at it, but in either case I think I missed the most important concept. The verse says, "They that wait upon the Lord..."
I have to tell you, I am terrible at waiting. I am constantly fussing about how I can't wait for something... to finish a project, complete my degree, decorate my house, master the guitar, go on a mission trip, finish my book, get my finances in order, feel successful as a wife and mother, have my own business, buy my own house, and so on and so on...
Rarely, if ever, do I evaluate my present situation with quiet confidence that I am waiting on the Lord. It's kind of sad when I think about it, because THAT is where hope is. It's in the waiting.
Max Lucado commented in his devotional (from Upwords 03/04/11) that when Noah's dove returned to the ark with an olive branch, Noah was filled with excitement. The olive branch didn't get Noah off the boat. It didn't even let him know where dry land was! It merely reminded him to hope, and that was enough.
I wonder what sort of olive branches God has been sending me that I may have overlooked out of frustration from having to wait?
I'm going to make every effort to learn to wait. Not with frustration and discontent, but with assurance that the Lord is aware that I'm waiting on Him and will faithfully provide me with pure and simple hope.
