Isaiah 25:9  It will be said on that day, Behold this is our God; we have waited for Him that He might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation.

Isaiah 40:31  But they who wait for 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.

I asked a room of almost 100 people, “How many of you like to wait?”  Not surprisingly, no hands went up.

We live in a society that wants things immediately. I admitted before those wonderful people that I think as I get older, I get a little more impatient. I must depend on God’s Holy Spirit to manifest that part of the fruit of the Spirit in my own life. It is difficult.

Our internet went down, and we had a technician come out to help us. Because the source of the internet speed is so far away from our house, there was nothing he could do. He even told us that probably the best solution would be to go with a competitor.

It is interesting, isn’t it? We need to be close to the source of the internet to get more speed. But to be able to wait patiently for the Lord’s timing, we have to be connected and close to Him.

What are they waiting for in Isaiah 25? It certainly could be referring to restoration after the exile. It points to the salvation we enjoy as believers because of Christ’s death on the cross. Ultimately it refers to the consummation of history, when the Lord comes back and completes all His promises.

One way to wait on the Lord is to think back on all He has done for us in the past. Think of the promises realized, think of the biblical covenants that God never ceases to fulfill. Think of the blessings He bestows on us every day. Many of those blessings He gives us without us even asking. As an example: if our heart beats 76 times a minute – that means it beats almost 40 million times a year. That is an incredible dependability. Yet, do we ever stop to think about it?

There is another side to this equation. God waits for us. He longs to bless us. He longs to enable us to live out His good and perfect will. We call him Father. Jesus taught that a father wants to give good gifts to his children.

Listen to these verses: Therefore the Lord waits/longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him. Isaiah 30:18 From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, Who acts for those who wait for Him. Isaiah 64:4.

What more can He promise? God is with us every step of the way. We are not out of His care one single moment. He waits with us. He cries with us and over us. His steadfast love endures forever. He is our assurance and hope. Therefore we wait for Him.

We have just completed our first Summer Series, and our second one will be with a panel of three local businessmen. It will be personal and practical Christianity.  We have finished one make-up date for our Golf Marathon and will do one more. We have also just started a new study that meets on Wednesday.

I am so grateful for each one of you. I sense your prayers, your support and your encouragement. As we wait to see all God is doing, let us rejoice in what He has done, His lovingkindness and His graciousness toward us.

Phil