xl. There was a time when our human nature seemed to possess much spiritual strength, but there came a time when it was all lost; and from that time, in the experience of every human being, it has had to be renewed. It is one thing to begin, and another thing to go on.3. Our whole future is mapped out with tests and trials, but we need not be afraid of these things if we are in the stream of the Divine supply. WAITING UPON GOD HATH IN ITSELF A NATURAL TENDENCY TO ESTABLISH AND STRENGTHEN THE SOUL. Who, of all men who ever lived upon the earth, was the One who had the sorrow of the world nearest to His heart? To wait on the Lord is the drawing nigh unto Him, to pour out our wants before Him, though He knows them so well, to plead the necessities arising out of our own ignorance, waywardness, and poverty of soul, to ask for His light to shine in our darkness, to clear our minds of the mists and fogs of native prejudice and of traditional error, to make plain before us our path of duty, and to keep our feet steadfast therein, to take into His loving hands the discipline and correction of our hearts, and to make us willing to undergo it, to keep us from all vanity and lies, and from every form of subtle self-deception, so that we may ever be true to Him and to ourselves. The Philistines were utterly unable to find out in what the amazing strength of Samson consisted, until he revealed it to his espoused wife. Its faith is romantic, the thrill of its devotion is exquisite. 1The HarbingerThe voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD , make straight in the desert a high-way for our God. Doubt seems so impossible, and elements of character are forming then that we should be poor indeed without in future time. And it is this that tries our mettle most of all. We see the years move on, and the everlasting truth subdue all to itself. who can bring life out of decay? His largeness and clearness of view give corresponding elevation and decision to his character. This sounds as if they were in danger of becoming weary and faint in their minds. Let us not be impatient of them. It is like a banquet spread before one who has no appetite or whose habitual food is altogether different, or like a rich and perfect performance of music to one who is altogether destitute of any musical sense.II. The brighter the light before them, the more eagerly and steadfastly they rise upwards to greet it and to bathe in its splendour. Halsey.But, you say, if this progression of ideas is a true climax, flying, running, walking why stay there? This implies a declension of strength, fainting, and fatigue; to all of which the Christian pilgrim is more or less exposed.1. Not only in the immediate exercises of religion, but at all times the Christian will be animated by a spirit of devotion. "Waiting" denotes a habit of mind-a devout habit that loves to call on God, a submissive habit that is ready to receive just what God sees fit to send, an obedient habit that is glad to do just what God commands, a stalwart habit of carrying such loads as duty lays upon our backs. Horton, D. D.)The strength of a ChristianT. Usually we have, at any rate, just a little strength, and then waiting upon Him means not only prayer and uplooking, but doing His commandments like the angels, who because they do them excel in strength.II. What is it to wait? What cares the eagle, as he bathes his wings in the translucent gold of the upper sky, for all the turmoil, the dust, or even the murky clouds that drift far beneath him? There must be stillness of soul, dependence, expectation.III. There are revelations made to men then, which prosperity never brings to them. T. It was as he pursued the ordinary routine of his ministry along the common ways, with the humbling "thorn" ever rankling in his flesh, that he felt the need of and received special succour. (Andrew Murray. It implies patience. The complaint of a heathen. A. Not only in the immediate exercises of religion, but at all times the Christian will be animated by a spirit of devotion. And this is true to life" "They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run; they shall walk." The young man who never overdid himself and felt utterly exhausted through some strenuous exertion in a great contest will never do much in the world he is not worth much- Not the tame, slow idlers, but the forceful men, the men who rejoice in their strength and to use their strength, the men who would rather drop than give in while another yard can be run, or another step be made, or another blow be struck for victory these are the men who will assuredly be carried on in the great enterprise until they are weary, and when weary will be carried on by their indomitable spirit, while others are seeking rest, until at last they reel and stagger and collapse. 4. It seemed useless to pray further. All the motives which the Gospel presents before him feed his hopefulness and increase his working power. Tymms. And, at any cost, let him who speaks from the mouth of the true God himself be true. But the period comes when these youthful impulsions give place to the more restrained and disciplined energies of life, like those of the runner who has trained himself to maintain his pace, and to maintain it by not exceeding it. But I believe that the preaching of the high ideal, divorced from the preaching of its attainment by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, is the reason for more than one-half the cynicism that you find amongst men from thirty-five to forty at the present day. The highest point in his destiny is to be conformed to the image of the Son of God. Alexander MaclarenExpositions of Holy ScriptureThe Secret of Immortal Youth'Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. That was almost 40 years ago and I am still learning. Voysey, B. Even "as the stream of brooks they pass away." How can you do it? (c)The vehemency of desire to the thing itself which we run for. When you go into your closet for your morning devotions, do not, as is very often done, read the Bible and think about it and pray about it, and then get up and go. But all forms of waiting on the Lord involve the personal, conscious, voluntary act of the mind or soul within us, for which no mere ceremony or ritual can be a substitute. And then we come to the quiet, steady, persistent "walk." 3 I'd part with all the joys of sense To gaze upon thy throne; Pleasure springs fresh for ever thence, Unspeakable, unknown. THE CHARACTER OF THOSE CONCERNING WHOM THE DECLARATION OR PROMISE IN THE TEXT IS MADE, considered as "waiting on the Lord."1. That God will "renew our strength." All strength apart from God is derived strength, and is consequently measurable, and must come to an end. Booth by faith has changed the drunkard and the sensualist into saints. Funny how we need 2 or 3 weeks to fit a church event into our schedule, but can adjust it for a social event at the last minute. "They shall run," etc.III. For such patience not only carries within itself the germs of strength, but also places the soul in that condition in which it is most susceptible of quickening influences and can most readily take advantage of fresh opportunities. If we can bring these two together, what a wondrous thing will happen! Did the prophet put this last in his brief summary because patience is one of those Christian graces that has its perfect work the latest?(J. It is history, and actual experience. One man's desires, and therefore his hopes, will go forth in the direction of the pleasures of sense. So in religion there often is observed an unnatural energy and enthusiastic vehemence. These two verses set forth two widely different operations of the divine power as exercised in two sadly different fields, the starry heavens and this weary world. Thomas, D. D.There are three blessings suggested as consequent upon this waiting I. We too are to "wait for the Lord" - v. 31, knowing that he hears us and knows our situation. "They shall mount up with wings as eagles," is God's preliminary; for the next promise is, "They shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint." There is the strength of custom, and religious education. These loftier moods have sometimes come even when you least expected them! "Even though this may happen, it is different with those who wait for Jehovah," i.e., those who believe in Him; for the Old Testament applies to faith a number of synonyms denoting trust, hope, and longing, and thus describes it . This renewing influence must come from God; surely that is a statement in harmony both with reason and with Scripture. The national life was restored, and that restoration of national life in the Jews is unique in the history of mankind; you cannot point to anything like it since man walked this earth, but it took place. art thou conscious of thy declining state? "Mount up with wings as eagles, run, walk," and one might almost dare to add a fourth "stand still!"(F. 5. But who is not weary, sometimes, in well-doing! All outward observances, whether private or public, have no meaning, and can have no avail without that conscious voluntary movement of the soul towards God. We must speak in the language of reproof to all those who are strangers to this operation in the soul; who never do humbly wait upon God, but when chastised and rebuked of the Lord are disposed to resist His authority, to impugn His character as merciful and gracious; who give utterance to all the outbreaks of a rebellious, unsanctified heart. Knight, M. As we read his words the image they call up is of three modes of motion, three rates of progression the flight of the eagle, the swift foot of the deer, and the ordinary pace of man. This posture of mind becomes the ignorance and guilt and unworthiness of the creature; the perfection, the wisdom and love of such a Being.5. Much of the benefit of worship is lost by many, simply from the absence of a due preparation of the heart, or from a thoughtless neglect of the decencies of God's house. But without God, without true hope.(W. But in time the eye becomes dim, and the subtle beauties of a fine painting cannot be seen; the ear becomes dull, and the sweetest music charms no more. xl. V. Tymms.I. Spurgeon. "For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.". Too many professors overlook the obligation to "worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.". (3) Here is the swiftness and agility of the motion. )Despondency and hopefulnessW. 3-5). But in time the eye becomes dim, and the subtle beauties of a fine painting cannot be seen; the ear becomes dull, and the sweetest music charms no more. Walking is less than running, and fainting is more than weariness. art thou conscious of thy declining state? Presently a new appetite for food was awakened, and a new life crept into my ten fingers; walking became a delight, and preaching as easy as for a lark to sing. We are precisely in the same position in which the Jews were found we are equally apt to faint when under God's rod; and He seeks to inspire us with hope and confidence.I. The love of created things is deceiving and unstable, but the love of Jesus is faithful and lasting. The Septuagint translators of the Old Testament were so sure of this bit of false science that in order to square their Hebrew Scriptures with the fashion of thought in Alexandria, they ventured to alter the words of our text, and to read, "They shall put forth new feathers like eagles," and so the old Greek version reads to-day. A persuasion of the power and goodness of God; His readiness to stretch out His almighty hand to help us, amidst the difficulties, infirmities, and temptations to which we are exposed.3. But more than all, in view of the great work to which he is calling his countrymen, he writes for those who feel called upon to do something in the world, for those who are conscious of high powers, and are in the purest sense of the word ambitious.(T. There is the strength of civility and moral principles. THE SECRET OF LIFE'S POWER.II. He is making His will. An engine came down and gave them a push, sending them towards the stationary carriages at such a rate that it seemed as though they would crash into the train with violence. The more willing we are o wait upon God the better it is for us; for He pays for time and gives us the more because we have waited.(T. Because they are imperfect.3. But the margin speaks of this renewal as a change of strength, as if it would remind us of the mansidedness of the grace of God, and its perfect adaptability to our everchanging needs.II. I. Poor and barren and diseased must that heart be which has no song of praise to sing, no gratitude to pour forth for past deliverances and for present mercies, which has no emotion of adoring love for a goodness so infinite and untiring. But this is not true of all. Many things he desires to do but cannot. xl. Some carriages standing on the middle line of rails were to be attached to our train. )The privileges of those who wait upon GodS. These two verses set forth two widely different operations of the divine power as exercised in two sadly different fields, the starry heavens and this weary world. What is this activity? )Life's order and the Divine sufficiencyJ. "THEY SHALL RUN AND NOT BE WEARY." All this renewal of vitality was the result of waiting on one of those wonderful healthfountains. RENEWED VIGOUR. In religious experience youth is the time of wings. Zeal fills the soul with courage to encounter enemies and surmount obstacles.II. This is a mounting up on wings, as compared with which the rest are but running and walking. The quotation of Is. Sweet childhood of eternal life! If called upon to act a public part, he will seek to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, that thus, while serving the Master, his own character may continually grow. To one who thus heroically soars towards God and His light, the things of time and earth seem trivial and contemptible. He expressly forbids any attempt to represent him by a bodily shape. Its faith is romantic, the thrill of its devotion is exquisite. Beneath that bright beam the moisture that encumbered it is exhaled; its bent stalk raises itself again, its shrivelled petals expand into beauty, and it diffuses around a cheering fragrance in gratitude to the power that has renewed its strength. It is often found in persons of weak understanding, and in minds not highly cultivated by refined education.3. There is also the heroic courage in speeding one's way as on eagle's wings in defiance of earth-born cries and warnings, and in lofty scorn of earthly interests and pursuits. But God is all-sufficient.(F. Fortitude and patience under affliction is also the effect of that renewing and increase of spiritual strength, which is received from waiting on the Lord. The result will be as it is figuratively expressed: We shall mount up; we shall run; we shall walk.I. By waiting upon the Lord. And then, before you pray, sit still, and shut your eyes and say, Will God now listen to me for certain? Let us notice: THIS WAITING UPON THE LORD. All these evils, so full of fierce and destructive energies, will soon be as the dust beneath our feet. know what it is to mount up. )The source and design of spiritual strengthF. THE MANNER IN WHICH WE ARE TO WAIT UPON GOD.1. It is well to rise up on wings of eagles, but now and then we must come to the level of our fellow-creatures, and in their service we are to run and not be weary. All the men and women of power are men and women of prayer. God means that every soul which waits on Him shall not creep in the muck and the mire, nor crouch in abject slavery to men or devils. The nature of each man's hopes will be in accordance with his ruling desires, and the amount of his hopefulness will depend on that to which he trusts for the fulfilment of his desires. The Church is a very powerful instrument, and will be indispensable through ages. But how does He leave it? Halsey.But, you say, if this progression of ideas is a true climax, flying, running, walking why stay there? Greenwood, AR. The justified believer derives strength to advance to closest fellowship with God from the hope that he may meet Him in likeness of character.4. This is not genuine strength, but real disease. Presently a new appetite for food was awakened, and a new life crept into my ten fingers; walking became a delight, and preaching as easy as for a lark to sing. He would exhaust his strength if he continued working. His uncommon bodily strength, therefore, was from the Lord; and when He departed from him, he became weak as another man.2. hath it not been told yon from the beginning? As near as I can judge, this continued about an hour; and kept me the greater part of the time in a flood of tears and weeping aloud.. Strength to resist the wrong, to pursue the right, to honour God and bless humanity.2. If anything were needed to teach men the necessity for connecting their own spirits with the Divine, it is the quick exhaustion of individual resources. Tymms. And look at that time when He has the burden of the world upon Him. This renewing influence must come from God; surely that is a statement in harmony both with reason and with Scripture. So it is possible for the Christian to be moving on by a power that very soon expends itself, and by a process of exhaustion he falls back again under the gravitating influence of his evil tendencies. This is what we all need in this weary world, whose toils and cares and temptations perpetually remind us of our weakness and the need of invigorating grace. The preaching of the apostles foretold12. All Videos Images Commentaries Devotionals Other Translations Sermons Related Scriptures Podcasts Blogs. To do this makes greater demands upon our moral steadfastness than to do either of the before-mentioned stages in our life experience. But there is immense energy in us still. We like a little bit of excitement or emotion. "A deathbed is a detector of the heart." He had "run" swiftly to and fro on many an errand of evangelisation; but he does not dwell on these as having called forth any remarkable manifestations of the Divine helpfulness. Our Lord trusted to faith to subdue humanity. Running. "Wilt thou not revive us, O Lord?" "Waiting upon the Lord." How is this renewing influence, then, to be obtained? The truth lies the other way! I remember a sunset at sea, where the bosom of each wavelet that fronted the west was aglow with fiery gold, and the back of each turned eastward was cold green; so that, looking on the one hand all was glory, and on the other Alexander MaclarenExpositions of Holy ScriptureSalvation Published from the MountainsO Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid: say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! xl. Cooke.The Lord's people must wait 1. Hours of holy exultation are necessary for hours of patient plodding, waiting and working. What is it to wait? Sometimes, indeed, long before the shadows are stretched out, in manhood's very prime the wasting is manifest. "Having done all, to stand!" To speak of a man as able to strengthen himself, so as to dispense with Divine aid, is as unreasonable as it is unscriptural As well might you talk of a leafless tree clothing itself with verdure without the vernal sun as well of an enfeebled body recovering tone and energy without the reviving air of heaven. And it is this that tries our mettle most of all. But this is not true of all. When by faith the regenerated soul draws near to God, the earth appears to recede; all its objects are seen to be diminutive; and the realities of the heavenly state are perceived, and operate with power on the susceptible mind. By the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, faith, love, and hope are brought into lively exercise; and these are as pinions to the soul. What a cheering revelation: "Your God!" You must get deeper and deeper yet, and when you touch the Rock the pillars of the earth you will come to the fact that under all there is the eternal blessedness. 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