Waiting on God

Waiting on God

The Hebrew word qavah (wait, hope) in Isaiah 40:31 carries the image of twisting or braiding — the way a rope is made by twisting strands together. Waiting on God is not passive inaction; it is the active intertwining of your life with His, your strength with His, your hope with His character. An athlete described training: 'You don't build strength by doing nothing. You build it by consistent, sustained effort that connects your capacity to a larger source.' Waiting on God is the spiritual equivalent — not ceasing effort but connecting effort to the One who multiplies it.

Isaiah 40:31 concludes the great comfort chapter that began with 'comfort, comfort my people.' The culminating promise: those who wait on God receive renewed strength — and the specific forms of that renewal are three ascending modes of movement: soaring (wings like eagles — effortless altitude above the immediate), running (sustained high-effort movement without exhaustion), walking (ordinary daily movement without fainting). The supernatural first, then the high-demand, then the ordinary. God's renewal is available at every speed of life. The person who has waited on God can soar when needed, run when required, and sustain the long ordinary walk. Advent is the season of waiting that produces renewal.