Waiting for Take-Off
"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." Isaiah 40:31
This scripture came to my mind yesterday morning, and no doubt it is one of the famous verses. And most devout believers of any length of time know this scripture. There is even a song.
“That’s right. ‘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. They shall walk and not faint. Teach me, Lord. Teach me, Lord, to wait.’”
It is a favorite verse. I went and found just the perfect image of an eagle with its wings stretched out seemingly with ease above all things, and it is a beautiful picture. Mm-hmm.
**The Conditional Promise**
But the key word that this scripture begins with is a conditional word. It is a conditional promise. “But they that wait.”
“Wait.” Wait. I’m still waiting. I’m in the waiting.
Wait. Waiting knows that waiting is not always a beautiful, peaceful thing. Oftentimes, waiting is like waiting. It is exactly like waiting, right?
I mean, it is nice when everything just unfolds in a miraculous way. Everything falls into place like dominoes in a row, and that does happen in moments. It is over really quickly.
But waiting often is not quick. I would say to you as a believer that has fully committed your life to the Lord, you are familiar with the weight of the wait, the burden in the wait, the uncertainty in the wait, the pain in the wait, and the sorrow in the wait, but there is a promise to us in the wait.
**Understanding “Qavah”**
This word “wait” comes from a Hebrew word, qavah. I know I am not saying that right. It has a root that implies active, expectant hope, and the image is twisting strands into a rope. It is that binding oneself to God with a grip, with tension, in anticipation.
Not a passive sitting thing, but an active holding and looking. It is an active waiting. It is not like, “Wake me when it happens,” but it is, “I can almost sometimes not sleep because I am waiting.”
As I meditated on this service, I should just take a moment and just say, “Lord, I love you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord, that we have a sure word of promise. Hallelujah.”
**A Prayer of Gratitude**
Lord God, you have given us many promises, Lord.
Thank you, Jesus. You have given us a faith that is deeper than just hoping; it is something connected to the soul you have given us.
Thank you, Lord, that we have something to wait for.
Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord, for your mercy in giving us this. I am sure you have heard the song, and I am not going to sing it because I like it too much to sing “When God Unfolds the Rose.”
It is such a beautiful song.
It is the imagery of it. You cannot make a rose bloom.
**The Zinnia Story**
At the beginning of this year, my wife made a special request that I would plant some wildflowers. Zinnias.
And so I bought quite a few zinnia packages. She bought some, and I have a part of my yard that we kind of just let do the natural thing. I scraped the ground and planted a bunch of zinnia seeds.
It is amazing how long it takes for all that to come up.
But we have reached a time where there are flowers every day.
And either she or I will go out there and cut them, and she will take all the leaves off of them and put them in a little vase, and it is really nice.
But there were times I planted something and I thought, “Is this ever going to produce?”
Waiting is not my favorite activity.
I have learned in certain situations, people, the kingdom of God, ministry, I have learned and grown to expect this might not happen overnight. I remember one time, I have never been one to receive many prophecies.
I used to go to all these meetings, and many of them were pretty high-octane with deep spiritual things, and I would hardly ever get a prophecy.
They would be prophesying to the plants and the walls. I would be standing there like, “What? Guess that means the Lord trusts I could hear from Him.”
But on those few occasions when I have received a prophetic word, someone ministered to me, and I found that even in my own spiritual journey of dreams and visions that apply to me, I have learned that almost never does that mean it happens tomorrow.
It is the hope that grounds us during the time between the promise and the fulfillment. It is that anchor that holds us steady deep inside when everything is contrary to us.
I believe it is hope that enables us to wait.
For they that wait upon the Lord shall.
Isaiah is broken into three parts. The first part of Isaiah mostly is about the judgment of God.
There are amazing messianic prophecies and favorite verses, but mostly it is about the judgment of God. And the second part is mostly about God comforting His people concerning the judgment of God. And the third part is instruction on what to do when the promise comes.
Trouble, comfort, and instruction when the promise comes.
Just in that book. And it is all there together. You know, you open up your Bible and you turn to the book of Isaiah, you know it is all there together.
It is all there together, and you could read it all in a day. But that was prophesied, given over a period of time to people that were either being judged because of their involvement, or they were living through the trouble because the people they love and the people they were related to, the people they lived next to, the people that they were in league with.
Because we are affected by everybody in our world. If you have a child or a parent or a cousin or a neighbor or a coworker that is under the frown of the Lord, you do not escape that unscathed.
It is heavy and hard. Yeah. And whether you are the one going through the horror OF GOD trying to bring some repentance in your life, or you are standing next to the person there, like Jonah, the other sailors had not done anything wrong.
They all had to go through the storm.
They all felt the fear.
And the one who had done wrong was sleeping like a dog at the bottom of the boat.
And that can be frustrating.
You ever had to live through a storm because the other guy- and the other guy is clueless, right?
**The Airplane Analogy**
The most perspective-crashing experiences that happen to anyone are the first few times they fly.
You are preparing to take off. You pack your bag, you go to the airport, go through security, wait at the gate, and you board the plane.
You have been there for an hour and a half, all in preparation for takeoff. You strap in. You wait for it to finally back up from the gate, taxi down to where it finally is, sit there, and hear the jets.
The plane begins to shake and rattle, and you feel it. And I remember those first few moments of looking out the window. And the other planes that were bigger than life, and buildings, and you just look and you are rising further and further until you look out the window, and all you see are squares.
It is like everything that is so big down here disappears and becomes invisible. And I think that is a good explanation of what the Bible says, “They shall mount up with wings as eagles.” It is such a rapid change in perspective.
And I think sometimes the Lord will bless us with those perspective-crashing moments. I have had it happen to me in prayer. I have had it happen to me listening to someone preach or studying the Word of God or in a moment of praise and worship.
How many of you know? I mean, those are amazing moments where we come down, and everything is the same size. But the Lord gives us these glimpses of what He has declared shall be.
I wish I could flee my challenges.
This natural inclination and desire. He says, “I wish I had wings and I would fly away.” But he concludes this thought to say, “But I will trust in the Lord.”
“But I will trust in the Lord. But I will trust in the Lord.”
I really feel like the Lord pressed that on my heart tonight: that there is something powerful that happens in the waiting.
“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. They shall walk and not faint.”
So teach me, Lord. Teach me, Lord, to wait.
Waiting.
In Him, By Him, Through Him,
Scott A. Phillips
On Tuesday morning, this scripture came to mind. My thoughts on this are not new or unique to me; no doubt I have heard this scripture referenced in messages and lessons countless times over the decades.
However, like all scriptures that are of note because of the imagery and promise.
Wait (upon the Lord): קָוָה (qavah / qovei YHWH — those who wait/hope in the LORD). This root implies active, expectant hope — like twisting strands into a strong rope (binding oneself to God with tension and anticipation), not passive sitting. It conveys eager expectation, trust, and gathering strength through connection to the divine.
Flying/mounting up: יַעֲלוּ אֵבֶר כַּנְּשָׁרִים (ya’alu ever kanesharim — they shall mount up with wings/pinions like eagles). Nesher refers to a powerful eagle or large raptor; the image evokes soaring effortlessly above storms.
Running: יָרוּצוּ (yarutzu — they shall run) and not grow weary (lo yiga’u).
Walking: יֵלְכוּ (yelchu — they shall walk) and not faint (lo yiafu).
Isaiah is divided into three different parts.
Part one, chapters 1-39, is of judgment, though we do find some powerful parts that speak to divine calling and messianic promise.
Part two is called the Book of Comfort, chapters 40- 55
Part three speaks to instruction and direction when they return, returning to the original covenant and to live in the promised land.
You have this opening of a powerful promise.
It is common for man to desire to flee from our troubles.
To escape the current circumstance.
Psalm 55
5 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.
6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.
7 Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah.
8 I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.
The conclusion of David….
16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.
17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
18 He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.
Preparing for a Trip.
Pack my bag.
Go to the Airport.
Wait at the gate.
Board the plane.
Strap in.
Taxiing down the runway.
Accelerating down the runway.
Take off.
The rapid change in perspective.
Psalm 124:7
“Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.”Refuge and Protection Under God’s WingsPsalm 91:3-4
“Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.”Psalm 57:1
“Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.”Psalm 17:8
“Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings.”God Carrying His People on Eagles’ Wings (Deliverance)Exodus 19:4
“Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.”Deuteronomy 32:11
“As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings.
”Prophetic Divine Escape
Revelation 12:14
“And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”