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Hoping In the Lord

                 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

 

          I looked through the past 18 months of posts, and I haven’t mentioned this verse since January 1, 2023, so if I say the same things I said, chances are good neither you nor I will remember. The first thing to point out is that a reasonable number of translations and interpretations of this verse use the words wait on instead of hope in.

          Both require patience, but I think we tend to see waiting on God as being more like sitting in a waiting room, while hoping in God requires more activity. Think about when you have hoped for, or expected the imminent arrival of someone you respect and whom you want to be pleased with you. Chances are good that in your hoping, you’ll clean the house, make some treats, or otherwise prepare. These may not be what you actual do. You may wait by being just as active as when you’re hoping, but to me, they have those distinct feelings.

          When I read this verse before, I thought of passive terms or maybe even magical terms. Waiting for or hoping in the Lord “magically” renews your strength. The act of waiting or hoping results in our soaring on wings like eagles, running and not growing weary, and walking without faintness.

          But that may not be what this is saying. If you are waiting for or hoping in the Lord, you will work at renewing your strength. You will work at soaring on wings like eagles, at running without growing weary, and of walking without growing faint. When you are hoping for the Lord, you’re probably not doing other things.

          So, if waiting on or hoping in the Lord causes us to do these things, what procedure can we develop that will allow us to wait or hope productively, to be awake and aware when He arrives? 

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