And when a contrary disposition is charged upon Israel, the Psalmist expresses it by saying, "They waited not for His counsel": that is, they wanted it not, nor meant to follow it, and therefore would not wait to receive it. Running is undignified, say some, it is more stately to walk, more dignified even to sit still. 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. 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. It puts before us the thought, not of a new gift, but of a new experience of an old gift. I have often gone to Saratoga, in the heat of the early summer, quite run down, and my vitality burned out as coal gets exhausted in the bunkers of a steamer. Instead of this natural, and moral, and customary strength, they shall have a supernatural and spiritual given unto them. When I look at what He does for the stars, I realise that His work is done every moment. But waiting on the Lord implies much more than this. There are revelations made to men then, which prosperity never brings to them. We are reminded of the solemn and formal acts of devotion, as implied in the words — "wait upon the Lord. The nature of each man's hopes will be in accordance with his ruling desires, and the amount of his hopefulness will depend on that to which he trusts for the fulfilment of his desires. At any rate he found in the matchless wing-power of the eagle a sublime image of an inspiring and God-seeking man. Faith and hope and love itself, so dewy fresh in the morning, spend themselves in noonday's scorching heat, and run low at eventide. L. Wiseman, B. Why not logically carry the idea further, and say that standing still is the sublimest consummation of the Divine life in many Even so. How far this strength shall operate, and what noble effects it shall produce, may be seen by the following words.III. It was in this greater exigency that his inner ear caught the promise, "My grace is sufficient for thee."(J. C. Voysey, B. A.I. 3. Often, too, the very best prescription which a physician can give is, "Rest and cheerful society." Faith can work miracles. HOW ARE WE TO RENEW OUR STRENGTH? Just such a well of spiritual force is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a power that is not your own, a power that comes from no earthly source, a supernatural power, power from on high which the prophet is here offering.(F. But the strength spoken of in our text is evidently not corporeal strength; it is a power seated in the mind; but neither is it intellectual vigour. The prophet's imagery is startling, and some critics would presume to call his figures somewhat mixed; but the thought conveyed is clear. There was a time when our human nature seemed to possess much spiritual strength, but there came a time when it was all lost; and from that time, in the experience of every human being, it has had to be renewed. The meaning is obviously, They, all depend upon Thee; men and beasts alike.2. This sense of the word gives us another part of the character of those that wait upon the Lord. But the idea in his mind is not one of comparative motions. By the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, faith, love, and hope are brought into lively exercise; and these are as pinions to the soul. Then I have a question to ask. Good men have done wonders when their strength has been renewed.III. 3. We see the years move on, and the everlasting truth subdue all to itself. If we are not of the eagle type and have but feeble aspirations; if we are not of the active, zealous type and cannot run, we may yet be able to walk, to move as fast as our poor, weak, or crippled limbs carry us, and if we do not wish to faint by the way we shall surely wait on the Lord. Heavenly-mindedness. But the idea in his mind is not one of comparative motions. SOUL ELEVATION. Thus Job says, unto me men gave ear, they waited, and kept silence at my counsel": which is as if he had said, "I had only to speak, and they were ready to obey my directions." Under such circumstances it is that, in the Divine ordering of things, what are called distresses, infirmities, and even great sorrows, are blessed of God to the opening of their nature and to the renewing of their spiritual strength. If a number of ships of war were sent out to sea, and were ready to start at any moment, and if the question were asked, what are they waiting for?, the answer would likely be one of two things: either that they were waiting for supplies, or waiting for orders. 1. We use it, too, with reference to the holding of an interview with a superior: a deputation "waits" upon the Prime Minister; the Prime Minister "waits" upon His Majesty. There are divers things which we are liable to faint at, which yet the Scripture takes us off from fainting at. With glowing ardour and intense enthusiasm these elect souls go forth on this service, seeking to establish a knowledge of the true God, urging the heathen to accept the light they enjoy, and sharing with them as proselytes the peace and prosperity, brought by truth and righteousness. You know who wrote that, and how true to the experience of a Christian is his picture. How is this renewing influence, then, to be obtained? Hocart. Clearer vision.3. It's a sorry thing to begin with the eagle's flight and come down to four miles an hour! It is in the period of youth that we have our ambitious dreams, and take our higher flights. Holy joy is an element of strength. But the idea in his mind is not one of comparative motions. These loftier moods have sometimes come even when you least expected them! Walking. They diligently attend to, and take peculiar delight in, all His service and will. "Wait on the Lord," says Solomon, "and He shall save thee." "Waiting" denotes a habit of mind-a devout habit that loves to call on God, a submissive habit that is ready to receive just what God sees fit to send, an obedient habit that is glad to do just what God commands, a stalwart habit of carrying such loads as duty lays upon our backs. By waiting on the Lord the stream flows into its appointed bed. 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. Cooke.The Lord's people must wait —1. Other images are used; those of the runner in the stadium, and the wrestler in the arena; but it is always on the walking that stress is laid. )Waiting upon GodAndrew Murray.One brother in the ministry asked me, "Is there not a danger of too great passivity?" It is a running and a walking. When we have done flying, we go on running. WHEREIN CONSISTS THE STRENGTH SPOKEN OF BY THE PROPHET?1. If anything were needed to teach men the necessity for connecting their own spirits with the Divine, it is the quick exhaustion of individual resources. Doubt seems so impossible, and elements of character are forming then that we should be poor indeed without in future time. With pleasure contemplate the animating result of this renewal of strength. Our Lord trusted to faith to subdue humanity. On the other hand, the blended eagerness and calm of the soul that is "waiting upon the Lord" make it the more receptive of all Divine influences, and keep it at least strong enough to take advantage of fresh sources of strength. "The joy of the Lord is your strength. His largeness and clearness of view give corresponding elevation and decision to his character. A good Christian performs good duties with some life and fervour in them. They "wait for the Lord, and in His word do they hope" (Psalm 130:5). Rare landscape.5. L. Wiseman, B. By the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, faith, love, and hope are brought into lively exercise; and these are as pinions to the soul. A. WE SEE HOW A TRUE CHURCH MAY BE DESCRIBED. 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. When exhausted renew your power.(R. Your stalk may be a broken one, and your petals may be shrivelled, but by waiting upon the Lord you shall renew your strength.II. But, further. But death does not "make cowards of us all." Such devout, humble souls shall "renew their strength." But whatever is done for right is done for God and endures eternally.3. 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. I said "Oh yes, my brother, as long as we think it is our activity that must do it, then passivity robs us of time and strength. We are altogether dependent upon God for our natural, as well as for our spiritual strength. Now those composite figures had subtle meanings. Holy love is a wing that will bear the soul upward to its object.3. Indeed I think we poor walkers sometimes make the most progress, for we lean more entirely on God and draw more constant supplies of His grace.(C. 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. Valleys can be long and hard while God’s silences are the order of the day. For even before conversion there is a kind of strength which does appear, and that also in reference to religion, and the duties of it, but it is not such a strength as any are to rest themselves contented with. Is this really so? I. They do not know by experience the blessings of communion, and therefore these outward aids in public worship are of little use to them. They shall "mount up," etc. To one who thus heroically soars towards God and His light, the things of time and earth seem trivial and contemptible. THE SUPPORT OF LIFE'S JOURNEY. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Use semicolons to separate groups: 'Gen;Jdg;Psa-Mal' or 'Rom 3-12;Mat 1:15;Mat 5:12-22', There are options set in 'Advanced Options', The Whole Bible As we read his words the image they call up is of three modes of motion, three rates of progression — the flight of the eagle, the swift foot of the deer, and the ordinary pace of man. General Epistles But the ordinary homely duty of the work-day world — the monotonous path which must be daily trod, this indeed requires the most abiding patience. But there is immense energy in us still. Here the metaphor is varied, and changed into one that is more common in the sacred writings, as expressive of Christian duty, which is frequently compared to running or marching. -------------------- Usernames should only contain letters, numbers, dots, dashes, or underscores. But how does God reveal Himself when He calls upon us to wait upon Him? That is precisely what Paul does say. L. Wiseman, B. When exhausted renew your power.(R. THE IMPORT OF THE DECLARATION, that they who thus wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; or, as the words might be translated, shall be renewed in strength.1. When, by the use of these various instrumentalities our souls have grown, and have come into the possibility of a higher spiritual disclosure, then there is a further soul-growth in us. (b)But a little time, and much time lost already. In point of ease. This may intimate —1. A. "Every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure. 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. There is also the heroic courage in speeding one's way as on eagle's wings in defiance of earth-born cries and warnings, and in lofty scorn of earthly interests and pursuits. In vain all my lonely musing, in vain all my bustle in the kingdom of Christ, if consistency of daily life does not accompany the whole. Consider also His promises and His covenant. 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. The corroding cares of the world should excite them to obtain the renewal of their strength.3. The spiritual is so real. HOW SPIRITUAL STRENGTH MAY BE ACQUIRED; AND HOW RENEWED, WHEN IT HAS BEEN IMPAIRED. The elements of this strength are —(1) Faith, founded on Divine illumination. Booth by faith has changed the drunkard and the sensualist into saints. But we have good reason to believe that the prophet drew his imagery from familiar objects in the land of exile. The Divine Spirit comes into the hearts of men in ways that are inexplicable to the lower understanding, and that, therefore, men who are on the lower plane of life do not comprehend. Endeavour in every possible way to cultivate this holy, humble, dependent spirit.(H. Flying. On the other hand, Divine strength never fails. Defeated and overwhelmed with despair you say, "It avails nothing, I am no forwarder to-day than I was last week, I am as far from the kingdom of God as ever; my passions are as wild, my mind as untameable as it was when I started for a better and manlier life." Exuberance of holy feeling is not a thing to be manufactured. There was a time when our human nature seemed to possess much spiritual strength, but there came a time when it was all lost; and from that time, in the experience of every human being, it has had to be renewed. A. Then there is the "running," that is ready obedience — a mark of the true servant. None had such joy as Christ. There are also occasions when the best thing the believer can do is to sit still and cease from his own exertions; when everything must be looked for from God. The excellency of dignity and the excellency of strength go both together, and he that falls from the one does, with Reuben, fall also from the other. (1) The delay of answering our prayers (Luke 18:1). SermonAudio.com - Isaiah 40 Sermons. Our natural strength requires constant renovation by the food that is convenient for us. But they are only painted cloud. It was in this greater exigency that his inner ear caught the promise, "My grace is sufficient for thee."(J. Nothing looks less like effort. It is that spiritual vigour of mind by which sin is overcome. Because they are human.2. You must cultivate that habit. And look at that time when He has the burden of the world upon Him. For even before conversion there is a kind of strength which does appear, and that also in reference to religion, and the duties of it, but it is not such a strength as any are to rest themselves contented with. b. They shall walk and not faint — words which seem to denote consistency in common daily life. Prepare your messages on God's Word in Isaiah with sermon outlines or an entire sermon series. I went to be with a woman that I wanted to be with. )Untiring progressF. V. Tymms.I. But the strength spoken of in our text is evidently not corporeal strength; it is a power seated in the mind; but neither is it intellectual vigour. A change from one kind of strength to another. The Gospel is a message of joy. 2. But you picture the life of the Lord Jesus Christ from the wrong angle, if you picture Him only as "the Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief." If not, some other hope will be cherished, for not to hope is not to live. We are shown the infinite powers that He concealed in the heart of a solitary man of faith. The wall of Jerusalem, of the second temple, would never have been built but for men like Nehemiah and Haggai, men who had their times of fear and depression and weakness, hut who went to God and came back not only strengthened themselves, but able to strengthen their brethren, so that the great work was done. The ransomed of the Lord returned: but the return was the least good they received, and deliverance their smallest boon. Wrong may prosper for a time. It is the daily walk along the beaten path that reveals the depth and sincerity of our religion. There could be little doubt but that from childhood he had often looked upon some of those carved tablets on which men with wings of eagles fastened to their shoulders were common, that he had often looked on those colossal images of winged bulls and lions and men such as may be seen in our British Museum to-day. Halsey. In point of comfort. A good Christian performs good duties with some life and fervour in them.2. )Standing stillJ. Obedience.IV. If then those who run are not weary, the same when they walk shall not faint. "They shall mount up. The boy who never knew what it was to be fagged out at school is not worth much. It is when all the romance is past, when all the effervescence of youth has subsided, when all incitements from without and all excitements from within are over, when life has settled into its groove, and, surrounded by the monotonous and the sordid, we find our horizon limited by "the daily round" and "the common task" — it is then that faith rises to its true heroism, enabling us to maintain our spiritual level and hold our ground against the deadening inroads of formality and in. Whether it be philanthropic, political, social, or religious, that seems to be tram. THE DEMONSTRATION OR CONFIRMATION OF THIS. But at the last, evil is found to be in its nature only decay. In short, to wait upon God is to be a religious man.II. It is the period of disenchantment; when we discover the bounds of the practical, and when we have a stronger sense of life's limitations than of its possibilities. All the men and women of power are men and women of prayer. This is a pace which is very requisite for the Christian. SPIRITUAL STRENGTH, HOW IS IT TO BE OBTAINED? )Waiting upon the LordJ. Howells.I. Have we made the hope that is laid up in God our own? We use the word also with reference to a state of expectation, more or less prolonged: as when we say that we are "waiting" for some friend. Hidden in that secret pavilion we see things as they really are. Man goeth forth to his work and to his labour until the evening. Without warmth in our desires and feelings we shall be found sickly. But such seasons of elevated devotion and delightful contemplation are not constant. It is like a banquet spread before one who has no appetite or whose habitual food is altogether different, or like a rich and perfect performance of music to one who is altogether destitute of any musical sense. They shall run, or march on, and not be weary. This expression may include many acts of the mind, but the connection of the words shows that here it principally refers to prayer. This is not genuine strength, but real disease. III. C. A. A good Christian performs good duties with some life and fervour in them.2. (2) There are races to be run down here upon the earth, special duties to be performed, for which a man must gird himself by special effort. (Evan H. Hopkins, B. )The continued renewal of strengthR. He is making His will. And all our waiting upon God will depend upon one thing — the knowledge that we have of Him. You throw a stone into the air. Luke-Acts The precept is the same in substance with the exhortation of St. Paul, "Be ye followers of God, as dear children"; or with that of St. James, "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you." This implies a declension of strength, fainting, and fatigue; to all of which the Christian pilgrim is more or less exposed.1. The Bible speaks about waiting patiently, and also about waiting quietly. On the other hand, Divine strength never fails. This seems to say that the life of communion with God is not a long series of vapid and unemotional hours, a dead level of mechanical and spiritless employments, but a life that has rare and glorious experiences, holy aspirations, ennobling thoughts, ecstatic emotions, spirit-stirring hopes.1. But God is all-sufficient.(F. They do not know by experience the blessings of communion, and therefore these outward aids in public worship are of little use to them. Truth and holiness and right abide for ever. You must wait until the time for it to blossom arrives. Themistocles harnesses the wind to help win the Greek naval battle at Salamis They shall mount up with wings as eagles.”] Themistocles, who led the Greeks in the famous naval battle of Salamis, for some reason unknown to his troops, delayed the engagement. 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