(b)But a little time, and much time lost already. But waiting on the Lord implies much more than this. The one verse says, 'He is strong in power'; the other, 'He giveth Alexander MaclarenExpositions of Holy ScriptureO Thou that Bringest Good Tidings'O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain: O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!' What is this activity? Anderson. Good men have done wonders when their strength has been renewed.III. This is the religion of the Bible: is it not a noble thing? Love your Bible and fill your heart with it, but let God apply it in your daily life.3. WHAT BENEFITS AND AIDS THEY RECEIVE WHO WAIT UPON THE LORD. The second great thing is to know ourselves, to be willing and determined to accept what God reveals about us. If, however, his desires are set on the more refined pleasures of sense, such as the enjoyment of works of art, his hopes depend on the retention of the delicate sensibility of the organs by which he receives his impressions. All the motives which the Gospel presents before him feed his hopefulness and increase his working power. He has kept the world going all these ages; and my short life of sixty, seventy, or eighty years will my God not care for and maintain that? If called upon to act a public part, he will seek to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, that thus, while serving the Master, his own character may continually grow. You see the eagle mounting up by a power that God has given it. We use the word "wait" with reference to service: a servant "waits" upon his master or his master's guests. )Waiting upon the LordJ. How much of meaning is couched in those two words, "My people!" You have learnt that to your sorrow by the bitter teaching of experience. All things are possible to him that believeth. But death does not "make cowards of us all." Thank God for the flying stage while it lasts, for we do get visions in those flights that abide with us long after our wings have dropped off, and we have learned that the ether is not our element; visions whose memory helps to cheer us as hereafter we trudge along the monotonous and dusty ways of life's hard routine. II. Waiting upon the Lord includes expectation. I turn now to dwell on THE NATURAL EFFECTS OF WAITING ON THE LORD, as stated by the prophet, and vouched for by myriads of the faithful and devout in all ages.1. To walk we want something like continuous, sustained evenness of conduct, progressing quietly and steadily day by day in the common round of life; not impulsive, not capricious, not changeable; without show, humble, and always the same. "They shall run, and not be weary." And so a human heart which is constantly looking to God will be much more susceptible of all influences that come from God. It's a sorry thing to begin with the eagle's flight and come down to four miles an hour! Sometimes, indeed, long before the shadows are stretched out, in manhood's very prime the wasting is manifest. Too soon a hard and cynical world converts our ingenuous confidence into self-mistrust. "(1) Thus moved, the believer strives above all things, and in all things, after perfect likeness to his Saviour in personal character. This large world, the spiritual, into which Isaiah has ushered us, includes all worlds, for it is as limitless as its Ruler. True piety has no greater enemy than fanaticism, which some are so undiscriminating as to confound with the fervours of true religion. (2) In the subject, for the former strength is only in the outward, this in the inward man. Trust in the Lord.II. The soul of fallen man naturally grovels on the earth; his face instead of being raised to heaven, is prone toward the ground. Clearer vision.3. 31). But whatever is done for right is done for God and endures eternally.3. Such strength of rising as this can only come by closest communion with God. "They Shall Mount up with Wings" (Isa. Howells. We traverse the solid unromantic ground of principle, while the ghost of many a shattered illusion haunts our path. By waiting upon the Lord. (2) While only the few can thus fly, many can only run. He will keep himself constantly near to God. This is a mounting up on wings, as compared with which the rest are but running and walking. Howells. It is far easier for some of us to run than to walk. This is not the strength spoken of here. Dickson, D. D.)Waiting on GodD. Godliness is progress without fatigue. Alexander MaclarenExpositions of Holy ScriptureThe Secret of Immortal Youth'Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. And when He Calls us home, He who sits upon the circle of the heavens, and sees all the sorrow of this world as you and I can never see it, bids us "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." Halsey.The spiritual teaching of this verse is, that for all the stages and moods of our life-pilgrimage Heaven's grace is available and sufficient.(J. As the result of a whole life of education and practice in Divine duties men may come, at last, into that state in which the Spirit of God shines with a steadfast lustre upon them. Let me translate that last word again, translate it by a word that is about as wide in its English significance as the word used by the prophet in his own time, "They shall mount up, they shall run, they shall go." )The privileges of those who wait upon GodS. To make our religion a delight and a glory we must surely wait on the Lord with songs of gladness and joy, praising Him more for what He is, and for what He has taught us to know and believe Him to be, than for the good gifts which His bounty hath bestowed.2. As their work and their difficulty are renewed, so shall the vigour of their souls be renewed. This is my Bible. At the best, however, these lofty flights can only be occasional. Sleep comes upon him; and through its influence the waiting body recovers all its vigour, so that the man rises again in the morning ready for his toil. Study and love your Bible, but remember it is God who must give the orders, and you will fail if you take them from a book. Gerhard Ter Steegen Is. There are two wings in our spiritual ascent faith and obedience. Who does not know the temptations of reaction, and the days when the lights burn low?2. The least that.it can mean is they shall stand their ground.3. He outflies many of the petty vexations and grovelling desires that drag a worldling down into the mire. By waiting upon the Lord. That God will "renew our strength." "Mount up with wings as eagles."1. Cf. It is precisely because he is not tired that the man of God does not stop. To "look off" unto the eternal, to get behind the veil into the realm of true being is the need of the fevered and exhausted soul. Horton, D. D.)Renewing strengthT. "(1) Thus moved, the believer strives above all things, and in all things, after perfect likeness to his Saviour in personal character. We have found that after all we have to live on terra firma. New strength will come to us for all holy enterprise in proportion as we trust in God for results. HUMAN strength is of many kinds, but in any form it will spend itself in due time. Luther calls it: "The doctrine of a standing or a falling church," i.e., as a church holds fast and appropriates this doctrine she remains pure and firm, and as she departs from it, she becomes corrupt and falls. "They shall mount up with wings" (Isa. Cultivate also the habit of waiting for orders. "They shall renew their strength." Purer air.2. This man, however, has this double life. M. Donaldson, D. D.No man is as strong as he desires to be. We are not always faint. F. W. H. MYERS. Among all the names that reveal God, this, the "God of all comfort," seems to me one of the loveliest and the most absolutely comforting. A sense of our own weakness, and our need of Divine help.2. Tymms. WHAT IS THIS WAITING?1. Yet the power of thus rising on eagle's wings is not the only quality to be noticed in this symbolism. Horton, D. D.)Renewing strengthT. How can you do it? The older Jewish commentators imagined they discovered here a reference to an ancient belief that at a certain time the eagle plunged into the sea and bathed off his worn-out plumage, and that afterwards new feathers grew. Horton, D. D.)Waiting in patienceT. He has kept the world going all these ages; and my short life of sixty, seventy, or eighty years will my God not care for and maintain that? Presently a new appetite for food was awakened, and a new life crept into my ten fingers; walking became a delight, and preaching as easy as for a lark to sing. As bodily health is only found in a well-balanced and healthy state of the corporeal functions, so spiritual strength can only be found in souls into which new life has been infused, and is in vigorous exercise. What is it to wait? Without warmth in our desires and feelings we shall be found sickly. xl. Comforts the people.Dictionary of Bible ThemesIsaiah 40:314612birds4690wings5763attitudes, positive to God5767attitudes, in prayer8150revival, personal8463priority, of faith, hope and love9612hope, in God9615hope, results ofIsaiah 40:27-316233rejection, experienceIsaiah 40:28-315537sleeplessness8724doubt, dealing withIsaiah 40:29-315057rest, physicalIsaiah 40:30-315178running8145renewal, people of GodLibraryApril 18. Then come the social affections, with the elementary forms of the intellect. And, at any cost, let him who speaks from the mouth of the true God himself be true. The young man who never overdid himself and felt utterly exhausted through some strenuous exertion in a great contest will never do much in the world he is not worth much- Not the tame, slow idlers, but the forceful men, the men who rejoice in their strength and to use their strength, the men who would rather drop than give in while another yard can be run, or another step be made, or another blow be struck for victory these are the men who will assuredly be carried on in the great enterprise until they are weary, and when weary will be carried on by their indomitable spirit, while others are seeking rest, until at last they reel and stagger and collapse. B. Meyer, B. A.Any racehorse will start at full speed; but how few have staying power! 4. He must give up all that he loveth for his Beloved, for Jesus will be loved alone above all things. It should put the worshipers of idols to shame. Steady attachment to the ways of God. B. Meyer, B. A.Any racehorse will start at full speed; but how few have staying power! Too soon a hard and cynical world converts our ingenuous confidence into self-mistrust. )Standing stillJ. The preaching of John Baptist foretold9. A. III. They shall find a supply of Divine help proportioned to their trials. These two verses set forth two widely different operations of the divine power as exercised in two sadly different fields, the starry heavens and this weary world. Here is speciality. Although every degree of spiritual strength is a precious possession, and we are not permitted "to despise the day of small things," yet it is the duty and privilege of every believer to aim at high attainments in the Divine life, and to encourage and aid others in doing the same. It is precisely because he is not tired that the man of God does not stop. As our natural life requires to be nourished by suitable food from day to day, without which it would decline and death would ensue, so the spiritual life of the Christian needs to be recruited continually, with the nutriment which is suited to its growth and strength.3. Flying. On the other hand, Divine strength never fails. It is better not to seek to produce ecstatic experiences in anticipation of the normal methods. As the result of a whole life of education and practice in Divine duties men may come, at last, into that state in which the Spirit of God shines with a steadfast lustre upon them. ''Have ye not known, have ye not heard? I may be very busy in connection with the Church of Christ and the advancement of the knowledge of Christ. The figure of one flying through the heavens, coupled strangely with the promise of running without being wearied, represents the godly man as ever having courage to entertain great hopes. )The source and design of spiritual strengthF. It is the only way to do anything well. It has already conquered half the world, and controls the whole. But once we understand that it is God that must work it in us, then I understand that my highest passivity will be my highest activity, for when I give myself entirely away to God, God can work in me, and then I will work as they that wait upon the Lord."1. Becoming weak as water, he shall not excel (Genesis 49:4).2. I do not say "Do not pursue your ideal," but what I say is this, "If you ever really want to make your ideal, you must be endued with the power from on high."(F. This is expressive of 1. Nothing looks less like effort.2. The strength spoken of is a moral, or more properly a spiritual quality. But it is possible to rise by another kind of power. He had "run" swiftly to and fro on many an errand of evangelisation; but he does not dwell on these as having called forth any remarkable manifestations of the Divine helpfulness. Tymms. "He shall mount up." The period of fresh, wild enthusiasms; the season of zeal without discretion, when all sorts of impossibilities are dreamed, all sorts of vain things attempted. Of those whom he hath chosen, whom he hath purchased to himself, he saith what he saith not of others. Watch it a bit and down it comes again; the power has spent itself. "They shall renew their strength." Waiting on God not only gives strength, it gives inspiration. (1) The delay of answering our prayers (Luke 18:1). The strength spoken of is a moral, or more properly a spiritual quality. The word does not say anything about the rate at which they go, and is used of the flight of the arrow through the air, or of the way of the ship driven before the wind, or of the gait of a swift-footed animal, or of the ordinary pace of man. Clear and comprehensive views of the truth of God. One of the oldest and best tried rules of religion is THE SACRED DUTY OF COMMUNION WITH GOD. )The strong in danger of exhaustionT. Cooke.The Lord's people must wait 1. SPIRITUAL STRENGTH, HOW IS IT TO BE OBTAINED? "He shall mount up." L. Wiseman, B. A. At a certain junction the train by which I was travelling was divided into two parts. We belong to a better time, but still we can feel its grandeur. 2. If then those who run are not weary, the same when they walk shall not faint. (1) In regard of its Original, as coming from the Holy Ghost (Ephesians 3:16). B. SimpsonDays of Heaven Upon Earth 'Have Ye Not? 4 [There all the heavenly hosts are seen, In shining ranks they move, And drink immortal vigour in, With wonder and with love. Horton, D. D.1. 31. For the old, for the young, for the sick and infirm, and even for such as may be tottering into the grave, he writes for them, and all he says is true and needful for their case. Thomas, D. D.)Waiting on GodJ. He first became known as a preacher of the first rank during his pastorate over the large Presbyterian church in Evanston, Illinois. There is the eagle again keen-eyed and strong as before, but soaring now into the blue, bearing itself up on exultant wing, and gazing into the heavenly radiance! What cares the eagle, as he bathes his wings in the translucent gold of the upper sky, for all the turmoil, the dust, or even the murky clouds that drift far beneath him? Learn to come into blessed fellowship with God. "They Shall Mount up with Wings" (Isa. 2 Here I behold thy distant face, And 'tis a pleasing sight; But to abide in thine embrace Is infinite delight. "Mount up with wings as eagles.". What is it to wait? On Him only (Psalm 62:5). It is a grand thing that there is one time in our lives when we have wings. "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." There is no mention here of the use of many words, or of certain external marks of devotion; it is simply, "Waiting upon the Lord!" Wesley fashioned modern England by faith. To "walk worthy of his high vocation" is the supreme exploit of the Christian's faith. It is a crown (1 Corinthians 9:25). Here is a Christian, bewildered, not quite knowing why he has so perpetually failed. You see the progression of ideas; it is strength that has to be renewed, and it has to be renewed by God, and God gives it when we wait upon Him. But God is all-sufficient.(F. In rapturous contemplation of the things of God. The Cherubim belonged to the tutelage of the Law. Spurgeon. Such a vision restores the heart of faith. This doctrine was the turning point of the Reformation in the sixteenth century. His power is vast and unbounded, and nothing is too hard for Him. "Wilt thou not revive us, O Lord?" )Waiting upon the LordJ. Impiety of Attributing a visible Form to God. All the men and women of power are men and women of prayer. By waiting on the Lord the stream flows into its appointed bed. With a stronger stroke than the eagle's wing will he be able to beat the air and penetrate to the third heaven; he will run before the chariot of the king and get to the city sooner than the fleetest horses of which even the king of Israel can boast; like Asahell he shall be lissom of limb and light of foot; and when far in the trackless desert even the endurance of the camel gives out, shall the man of God hold on his way. If you and I have this grace, and if we practise it, what may we expect?1. A patient continuance in an expecting attitude, until we actually receive the fulfilment of the Divine promise. Even when He hides His face (Isaiah 8:17). We are altogether dependent upon God for our natural, as well as for our spiritual strength. )Waiting upon the LordJob Orton.I. We all, therefore, belong to it in one sense or another, and cannot pass out of it.(W. You throw a stone into the air. Sacred DUTY of communion with God anything well, it gives inspiration ascent and... 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