Isaiah 40:31 “But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not grow weary; they shall walk and not be faint”. NIV
Right before Christmas I felt the Lord calling me to retreat and be silent. Hello! God have you not met me!!!! But I felt the pull so strongly and I attended an 8-hour silent retreat. Now before you say “silent for 8 hours!!!” I have to tell you, I did not go cold turkey. That would have been a shock to my system. The 8-hour day was broken into several silent sessions with some discussion times woven throughout which made the process manageable.
The theme of the retreat was “Mastering the Practice of Slowing Down.”
In the process of mastering the practice of slowing down, the facilitators advised us to read slowly and with intent. Then they gave us a folder with scripture and away we went to be silent.
As I was slowly AND silently reading, I came across Isaiah 40:31. Something about this well- known verse seemed new to me. So, I went back and read the verse again even slower, letting each word form in my mouth. I read it again for the third time and I processed the meaning of each word with my heart and not my head. I did not try to over analyze or overthink it. I just let my heart absorb the words.
Before when I read Isaiah 40:31 or offered it to others as encouragement, I would usually brush past the first part and hang on to the “mount on eagle’s wings” or meditate on “not grow weary” or focus “not be faint”. But when I read it during my solitude I noticed for the first time the first part of the verse, “but those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength”.
Let’s read that again. Slowly.
“But those who WAIT upon the Lord shall RENEW their strength”.
What? Was that first part always there? Was I reading a different translation? How did I miss the first part all these years?
Heck, the whole time I thought it was the eagle and his wings helping me out. Nope! It was the Lord. Go figure ;)
I love how scripture reveals its self like that. The Bible is truly a living book. You can read a verse numerous times and then one day a whole new revelation.
It’s like God gives me new eyes with new understanding. There was a time when I needed to hear from Isaiah 40:31 that I shall mount with wings like eagles and I won’t grow weary. I thank God for that promise and reassurance. But now I am in a season where He wants me to wait so HE, and He alone, can renew my strength.
Waiting is hard. But in the waiting, I will trust Him. He will be by rock and my shield. And He will renew me.
I am beginning to like this new arrangement.
Are you in a season of God calling you to wait upon Him? And are you willing to wait upon the Lord so He can renew your strength?
Jennifer