Scripture

But those who wait on 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.

~Isaiah 40:31, NKJV

Quote

Our willingness to wait reveals the value we place on the object we are waiting for.

~Charles Stanley

 

The word that the AV translated ‘wait’ in the Hebrew verb qāvâ. It comes from the primitive root; to bind together, to expect, to gather (together), look, patiently, tarry, or to wait. The NIV and LSB translated it those who ‘hope’ in the LORD, and the NASB read ‘trust’. I know one thing for sure, there is a lot of waiting in the Christian experience. We are waiting for Jesus to return and set this twisted world straight. We are waiting for His kingdom to come and His will to be done. We are waiting for the Holy Spirit to revive the church. We are waiting for our glorification. We are waiting for healing and consumption. When Jesus returns to earth, he will heal all the brokenness, right all the wrongs and put everything back into its proper order, the way it was before the curse. Waiting is one thing; many times we don’t have a choice about waiting but waiting patiently is another. I came through Hartselle last night at 5:30 I had to stop and wait at every light. It is all apart of the down town Hartselle experience. David admonished us to Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. The JEV would read, “Wait patiently on the LORD and do not fret when someone gets in your way.”

The verse above is about the LORD refreshing us and giving us strength when we are weary. I was walking with someone the other day and he said, “wait just a minute, let me catch my breath.” Instantly, I knew exactly what he meant. I can climb stairs but when I go to places that have the long stair cases {like sports arenas} I have to climb awhile and rest awhile. I don’t have enough breath to make it without rest. Every morning I go to my quiet place and rest, I catch my spiritual breath. I can’t make the climb if I don’t.

So why did some translators translate qāvâ as trust instead of wait? Maybe it is because it takes a lot of faith and trust to wait patiently. Deep down inside, if we believe the LORD is going to keep His promise, we can wait with patience. I long for His coming; I long for REVIVAL. Every time I go into the pulpit, I am praying “LORD, this would be a good time to let Revival break out.” But the truth is, I am still waiting. Smoke and mirrors will not get the job done. Creating our own fire will draw a crowd but it will not transform lives. What we need is something that only God can do. I hope it happens tonight and if not tonight, next Sunday.

 

Extra

Some small but good news, we have no water leaks. We had so much ice in the front yard that it looked like we had one. A big thanks to my neighbor Ronnie Shipley for helping me. The Plummer never made it. Mike Childers has settled in at Encompass Health Care just east of Huntsville. It is a brand new facility and it is nice. Mike’s room is almost as big as the house we live in. Mike is doing really well. Right now they are thinking 10 days of rehab…ten working days. I don’t think that count weekends. Kip was with him last night and Harvey had already been to see him before I got there. He is waiting on Don and Mickey.

Loving this weather. I had two heaters going last week and today none! I love it.

Have a good day and thanks for reading the blog.