Waiting on God

We sing a song in church ♪ Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord ♫ which is based off Isaiah 40:31. I've always taken that scripture and the word ‘wait’ to mean patiently expecting of what God will do in His time. Even the commentary in my bible describes it as “fervent, patient hope.” But as he often does, Pastor broadened my perspective of the word ‘wait.’ 

He's has taught on how Jesus healed by touch and tell. One such ‘touch’ healing can be found in Matthew 8:15, “He touched her hand and the fever left her (Peter’s mom) and she got up and began to wait on Him.” To visually demonstrate, Pastor threw a towel over his forearm and in his best French accent, asked to take our order. What do waiters do? They take your order, they serve you, they cater to your needs, all to earn a better-than-15% tip. Pastor explained that a good tip from him is directly related to how many times he’s visited by the waiter.  

If we were to wait on God, what would His order look like; maybe an ounce of faith, a measure of devotion, a side of trust? How often do we come to the table? Are we too busy waiting on everyone else, or do we make Him our top priority customer, checking in with Him consistently, knowing He’s a really good tipper? So, what kind of tip can we expect from the Father? Isaiah 40:31 says those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. By serving God, we will gain an inner strength that will allow us to soar above our problems with energy and purpose, with endurance to come out ahead. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s an above-average tip!