There, throughout, we find the Divine life in man described as a "walk." This is not genuine strength, but real disease. WHEREIN CONSISTS THE STRENGTH SPOKEN OF BY THE PROPHET?1. 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. The energy of this life manifests itself in various ways. To do this makes greater demands upon our moral steadfastness than to do either of the before-mentioned stages in our life experience. 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. Learn to come into blessed fellowship with God. Although we cannot always account for these moods of the soul, we might all experience them more frequently if our habitual attitude were more of a "waiting upon God." Waiting upon the Lord includes expectation. )Renewing strengthHuman strength is of many kinds physical, mental, spiritual; but every form of human strength must of necessity spend itself. "They shall mount up with wings as eagles," is God's preliminary; for the next promise is, "They shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint." 1. In the power to endure it. Waiting on God not only gives strength, it gives inspiration. 26 and 29. I took a great deal away. (Sunday School Chronicle. Just such a well of spiritual force is the Lord Jesus Christ. Waiting, in the Scriptures, sometimes includes the idea which we affix to it in common life; namely, that of attendance or service.II. A. The boy who never knew what it was to be fagged out at school is not worth much. Waiting on God not only gives strength, it gives inspiration. They are not. The national life was restored, and that restoration of national life in the Jews is unique in the history of mankind; you cannot point to anything like it since man walked this earth, but it took place. I. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31). The most vigorous pinion will never reach the sun, but yet it may reach so high that earth-bound creatures shall fail to track its flight, and lose it in the glare of the excellent glory.2. It was as he pursued the ordinary routine of his ministry along the common ways, with the humbling "thorn" ever rankling in his flesh, that he felt the need of and received special succour. III. (2) While only the few can thus fly, many can only run. 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. The "walking" is the most important part after all. If public worship helps you to this direct personal communion with God, I need not say you are bound to attend it; you are sure to do so of your own free will without any pressure. The fact is, men are led to think they are going to conquer the whole land in five minutes, and imagine they are going to realise their ideal before they are five-and-twenty; and when they find that the nearer they ought to be getting to their ideal the farther it recedes into the distance, they are discouraged, and, out of sheer despair of ever reaching their ideal, they give it up, and laugh at those who try to pursue it. They shall grow more steady and established in religion. In point of comfort. On Him only (Psalm 62:5). And let us take Him to be our continual joy, whose heart is a fountain of blessedness, and who Rev. 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. Here is speciality. They wait with humility and self-denial. Circumstances may change; man may change; but God never changes. In common daily duty we are to run in the ways of God's commandments; but the word is more frequently employed to denote some direct obedience to some special command. Before you read, set yourself still that your soul may realise, I am waiting for God to come in and take possession of me for to-day. He who cleaveth to created things will fall with their slipperiness; but he who embraceth Jesus will stand upright for ever. Is this really so? Even when He hides His face (Isaiah 8:17). "They shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall go on and on and not faint." But running is harder than flying. The man who waits upon God has three cardinal qualities which above all others will tend to the conquest of the world buoyancy of spirits, activity, and perseverance; the man who can command these is the man who will win.(F. The expression denotes a feeling of need, and a sense of dependence upon the Almighty, without whom nothing is strong or holy. This reputation led to his being called to the Central Church, Chicago, in which he succeeded Dr. David Swing, and where from the first he attracted audiences completely filling one of the largest auditoriums in Chicago. 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. --The Setting up of Idols a Defection from the True God. "The joy of the Lord is your strength. We are taught where we must go in times of trouble. All the men and women of power are men and women of prayer. Health, hope, and desire pass quickly away together, and a loaded table becomes an object of revulsion. The highest point in his destiny is to be conformed to the image of the Son of God. There is a vast deal of verve in the original Hebrew; it signifies to be strong enough to hold out. "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. Such strength of rising as this can only come by closest communion with God. And again, "I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope," etc. True piety has no greater enemy than fanaticism, which some are so undiscriminating as to confound with the fervours of true religion. 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. 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! They are said, in our text, "to mount up on wings as eagles." II. (See some ideas below.) As near as I can judge, this continued about an hour; and kept me the greater part of the time in a flood of tears and weeping aloud.. He who looks only at the burden of the world, and only sees its sorrow and shame, has not got to the last analysis of its meaning; he has not touched the Rock, is floundering in the mud. What is the highest service? That is the time when we are spiritually aggressive, when we count as an active force in the world.3. )Despondency and hopefulnessW. Cf. What, then, is meant by this "waiting upon the Lord"? (3) In the effects, for this supernatural strength is able to do greater matters than the other can do, helping a man to deny himself, to overcome the world, to mortify lusts and corruptions, etc.2. Is there anything which God does not use in operating upon the reason, the affections, and the moral sentiments of men?2. What is the reason of all this? 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. Hence it is for these that the prophet chiefly writes. 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 deliverance has made the singer look forward to the end, and his confidence in the issue is confirmed. But as they came round the curve from one line to the other friction and gravitation asserted their power. Locusts are destroying plant life in different parts of Africa and the Middle East. Halsey. And what does God reveal in contrast with His great omnipotence? 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. --The Setting up of Idols a Defection from the True God. "The men of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light." The sails are unfurled to catch the heavenly breeze. 2. L. Wiseman, B. A.The knapsack that galls and oppresses the novice at mountain climbing is borne without fatigue by the guide who is accustomed to it. Such devout, humble souls shall "renew their strength." Then there is the "running," that is ready obedience a mark of the true servant. To wait on the Lord is the drawing nigh unto Him, to pour out our wants before Him, though He knows them so well, to plead the necessities arising out of our own ignorance, waywardness, and poverty of soul, to ask for His light to shine in our darkness, to clear our minds of the mists and fogs of native prejudice and of traditional error, to make plain before us our path of duty, and to keep our feet steadfast therein, to take into His loving hands the discipline and correction of our hearts, and to make us willing to undergo it, to keep us from all vanity and lies, and from every form of subtle self-deception, so that we may ever be true to Him and to ourselves. 21 and 28. 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. The sails are unfurled to catch the heavenly breeze. Funny how much difficulty some have learning a simple bit of the gospel well enough to tell others, but how simple it is for the same people to understand and explain gossip about someone else. Child of God, that is to be your position. They shall grow more steady and established in religion. All strength apart from God is derived strength, and is consequently measurable, and must come to an end. 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. What is this activity? 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. And this is done commonly, in the greatest uncertainty whether the means will prove effectual.2. It means prayer much more than an occasional supplication, however real; it means persistent, persevering, continual prayer; it means an abiding attitude of trustful dependence upon God; it means all that is wrapped up in those beautiful words, "Oh, rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him"; it means trust in the Lord and do good; it means trust in the Lord at all times, for with Him is everlasting strength, and have no confidence in self.2. And look at that time when He has the burden of the world upon Him. "They that wait upon the Lord."II. "They shall mount up. L. Wiseman, B. (2) The affections. )Waiting upon the LordJob Orton.I. There is the strength of civility and moral principles. 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.II. On the other hand, Divine strength never fails. xl. The quotation of Is. The meaning is obviously, They, all depend upon Thee; men and beasts alike.2. Then the engine and carriages of the detached front part of the train came back and all were coupled up. 3 I'd part with all the joys of sense To gaze upon thy throne; Pleasure springs fresh for ever thence, Unspeakable, unknown. "Renew" means to "change your strength."1. Elevated devotion. The Church is a very powerful instrument, and will be indispensable through ages. INTERESTING PROGRESS. This is a pace which is very requisite for the Christian. He outflies many of the petty vexations and grovelling desires that drag a worldling down into the mire. It is painful to be in that condition in which we feel that we can, and yet cannot; that we have faculty, yet lack inspiration; that we have wings of heavenward desire, with but little power to use them. Use all strength as a gift of God. 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. Beneath that bright beam the moisture that encumbered it is exhaled; its bent stalk raises itself again, its shrivelled petals expand into beauty, and it diffuses around a cheering fragrance in gratitude to the power that has renewed its strength. Of those whom he hath chosen, whom he hath purchased to himself, he saith what he saith not of others. L. Wiseman, B. Even "as the stream of brooks they pass away." There are some kinds of people in the world who all on a sudden will amend their lives. We come to a state in which there is a direct influence of the soul of God exerted upon us as direct as sight and voice are to the bodily senses. Our spiritual strength seems to include chiefly three things . "These wait all upon Thee; that Thou mayest give them their meat in due season." He receives strength to confess his sins to the God of truth from the hope of pardon founded on God's merciful promise.2. "In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." To pursue the common track of daily duty not faltering nor growing weary to do so when novelty has worn off, when the elasticity of youth has vanished, when the applause of the crowd has become dim and faint this is the greatest achievement of the Christian life. They get filled. 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. We must renew our strength, for it is for our honour, comfort, and safety.4. 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. THE TEMPER AND FRAME OF MIND INVOLVED IN THE EXPRESSION, WAITING UPON GOD.1. This seems to be the proper sense and meaning. 13. xl. This sense of entire dependence upon the grace of God will naturally express itself in prayer, and in a devout and regular use of the appointed means of grace. 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. 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 whole point is there. (Andrew Murray. 21-22) 3) Isaiah's chapters are divided into 2 very distinct. on wings as eagles: they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. The man with so keen an eye for rhetorical effect as this writer shows could not have ended this matchless oration so tamely. "Keep mercy and judgment," says the prophet Hosea, "and wait on thy God continually." He expressly forbids any attempt to represent him by a bodily shape. "He is Faithful that Promised." )Renewing strengthHuman strength is of many kinds physical, mental, spiritual; but every form of human strength must of necessity spend itself. How much of meaning is couched in those two words, "My people!" There are amateur and spasmodic philanthropists who dabble occasionally with the great social problems, and they feel their weight and cry out in despair. Elasticity of heart is felt. The spiritual is so real. It is precisely because he is not tired that the man of God does not stop. There is something very grand in these august and mysterious voices which call one to another in the opening verses of this chapter. 3 I'd part with all the joys of sense To gaze upon thy throne; Pleasure springs fresh for ever thence, Unspeakable, unknown. Every thing is beautiful in its season. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.' Holy joy is an element of strength. ALL RENEWAL OF STRENGTH SHOULD BE REGULAR. A. And let us take Him to be our continual joy, whose heart is a fountain of blessedness, and who Rev. Holy, Holy, Holy Is the Lord of Hosts (Isaiah 6:1-8) by John Piper; God Will Give You Strength (Isaiah 40:27-31) by H.B. This posture of mind becomes the ignorance and guilt and unworthiness of the creature; the perfection, the wisdom and love of such a Being.5. I took a great deal away. Watch it a bit and down it comes again; the power has spent itself. If we can bring these two together, what a wondrous thing will happen! The corona virus is devastating many, many lives all around the world with thousands of people dying. By continually waiting upon God. Entwisle.I. Watch the bird in the air. It is very easy to misunderstand this word "wait," and regard it as meaning inactive passivity. God has provided hours for rest and refreshment.I. Reviving Grace. 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. If then those who run are not weary, the same when they walk shall not faint. There are many temptations to resist, and many afflictions to endure, and many duties to perform.3. THE CHARACTER OF THOSE CONCERNING WHOM THE DECLARATION OR PROMISE IN THE TEXT IS MADE, considered as "waiting on the Lord."1. You must cultivate that habit. When I look at what He does for the stars, I realise that His work is done every moment. 2. Here is a Christian, bewildered, not quite knowing why he has so perpetually failed. L. Cuyler, D. D.)Waiting on the LordC. 20.--"And the Redeemer shall come unto Zion, and unto them that turn," &c. Doctrines, as things, have their seasons and times. They shall walk, and not faint." But without God, without true hope.(W. This doctrine was the turning point of the Reformation in the sixteenth century. The prophet is not speaking of three rates of motion, but he is rather speaking of the active motion and then onward continuance. Men who live far from God are apt to grow sick and weary of the humdrum monotony of their daily life, especially if they have to bear some continuous burden from which they see little hope of escape. This man, however, has this double life. 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