Are you sitting in God's chair?

For decades, my favorite Bible verse was Isaiah 40:31. I loved the promises in the verse of renewed strength and eagle wings. I often motivated myself by believing with patience and determination that one day this would be my testimony. In my heart, I believed that I just needed to wait on the Lord to come through for me. Yet today, as I continue to grow in my walk with the Lord, I realize that I had never truly read my favorite verse. Once I finally read it through a spiritual lens, it took on a whole different meaning.

In Isaiah 40:31, the text reads, “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.”

The Greek word for the phrase, but they that wait is qâvâh. It means "to expect:—gather (together), look eagerly, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon)". The Greek word for the phrase upon the Lord is "Yᵉhôvâh. It means self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, The Jewish national name of God:—the Lord." Therefore, to paraphrase the Greek definitions is to "eagerly, yet patiently wait on God".

Ask yourself this question; do you eagerly, yet patiently wait on God"? Before you answer, please reflect on the question. I did not ask if you wait upon God; “for something.” There is a huge difference between waiting upon Him for something and just waiting upon Him.

To wait upon the Lord for something means that you already made a request of Him and are patiently or impatiently, waiting for His response. Yet note, this is not what the text is asking you to do. The verse says, “but they that wait upon the Lord”. Therefore, in this context, you are a waiter. What does this mean? The English dictionary defines a waiter as a man whose job is to serve. Therefore, the Lord is your customer, and you are waiting on Him to tell you what He wants.

Too many times people get this backward. Many Christians tell the Lord what they want and then force themselves to wait until He answers. In fact, many will give their requests to prayer groups and say please help me get a response from the Lord. Many of these same Christians will even fast and deprive themselves, all to persuade the Lord to do something on their behalf. Yet, they wonder why the Lord is not answering them or moving on their behalf. This is because they have the relationship backward. We are the waiters, and the Lord is seated down for a meal. We are called to wait on Him.

It would be professional suicide for a waiter to rush the customer. It does not matter if you are working in a simple diner or a high-end restaurant. The customer has the right to take their time. The waiter simply checks in to see when the customer is ready. Are you checking in to see how you can serve the Lord? Or are you pacing back and forth for Him to respond to your requests? Depending on which one you are; the rest of Isiah 40:31 will not matter if you got the first part of it wrong.

Be Encouraged,

Thomas Knowles, Minister of the Gospel of Christ Jesus