Wait Upon the Lord

Isaiah 40:31 "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."

I live in a culture that hates waiting. We want everything instantly and without hard work.  If we have to wait two minutes for a traffic light we get frustrated.  No matter how fast the computer is we always want faster.  

If we want to grow in our relationship with God we have to wait.  What does it mean to wait? Waiting can be so hard and even painful at time.  According to Brown-Driver-Briggs Commentary the word wait originally meant to twist or to stretch.  If you want to grow in your relationship with God you have to twist and stretch. Waiting upon the Lord is not a passive act.  It is a choice to put ourselves in situations where we are uncomfortable and our faith can be stretched.  

The good news comes in the next few words.  It says that our strength will be renewed.  It is just like our muscles in our body.  When they are stretched, twisted, and even torn they get stronger.  The more that we choose to be uncomfortable the more our strength will grow and the more we will be able to accomplish.  

How are you allowing yourself to be stretched?