"Waiting for Wings in the Wasteland"

I was reading Isaiah 40 this morning.  There is an interesting story behind this passage of Scripture.  It seems that Isaiah has looked forward in time and sees the coming destruction of Judah.  The Babylonians will soon come in and destroy the nation, the main city Jerusalem, and the center of worship: the temple.  This destruction is on the horizon… the people will be slaughtered and those that are spared death will be taken into exile in foreign lands, the people will be separated, alone, and far away from home.  In the midst of this Isaiah says, “Why do you say, ‘My way is hidden from the LORD and my right is disregarded by my God’?  Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.  He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.  Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; the shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Waiting for wings in the wasteland is not an easy task.  It is cold, lonely, and sad there.  I find it very easy to say, “my way is hidden from the LORD” when uncomfortable things happen to me and I cannot even imagine what those feel who have suffered so much more than myself.  There are two promises that I want to cling to, and they are two promises that I believe Isaiah wanted to give the suffering Jews when they were all alone in exile:  (1)God has not grown weary, and (2)if you will wait on him he will renew your strength.

Oh how I pray that God would give wings to those of his children who are suffering in the wasteland today.  I have a vision of his chosen ones receiving power from on high to spread their wings and begin to take off out of the dust heap.  But if we find ourselves still in the wasteland I pray that we would have strength to wait.  Waiting seems so unsatisfying to me, but I want to embrace this scripture that says my God will come and rescue me and until that day I will wait, so that when I do begin to soar it will be he who receives all of the credit, honor, and glory for my flying.  Soon we will fly, all of us who belong to Jesus.  That gives me hope, that gives me strength to wait on my God.