As we continue our How To: Series we are identifying specific biblical principles that are found in scripture and explaining how we can apply them in our daily spiritual walk with God.
Grabbing hold of these simple principles can revolutionise your prayer life and help you to find your God ordained position in Christ.
Todays Scripture Reference
But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint
(Isaiah 40:31)
Biblical Principles for believers to access
In my own experience both as a believer and as a minister I have found God's people hungry for practical keys that can help them experience a closer walk with their Saviour. It takes time to grow and develop the spiritual maturity we all desire, but finding powerful biblical principles in the Scriptures can greatly assist us in this endeavour.
Abiding in God
The Bible teaches us multiple ways of abiding in God, and one of the most effective ways is learning to wait upon the Lord
Wait Upon The Lord
"But those who wait on the Lord"
To understand what the writer was referring to in this scripture we must take a look at the original language that it was written in, which in this case was Hebrew.
The word 'wait' in Isaiah 40:31 is the Hebrew word 'qavah'
The literal meaning of this word is “to bind together like a cord.” or, “the twisting or winding of a strand of cord or rope.”
Therefore the literal meaning of waiting upon the Lord is to bind your self to Him or twist yourself around Him like a vine climbs up a tree.
Renew Their Strength
"Shall renew their strength"
The Hebrew word for 'renew' in Isaiah 40:31 is 'halap'
which has the following meaning :
To change, substitute, alter, change for better, renew.
"But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength"
The Biblical Principle of Exchange
* Therefore if we combine these two Hebrew words together they literally say:
"But those who bind themselves to or twist around the Lord shall substitute or exchange their strength for His strength"
Biblical Examples of The Principle of Exchange
(Psalm 27:14) Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!
* For those times when you may feel that you can't go on any further God will strengthen your heart and renew your courage as you wait upon His strength!
(Psalm 30:11) You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness
* God's presence in our lives is able to transform times of mourning and replace them with dancing and gladness
(John 15:5) “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing
* By abiding in His presence we can become fruitful in our Christian walk
(Isaiah 61:3) To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
* If we are feeling low or depressed, waiting upon the Lord enables us to exchange our sadness for joy by entering into praise
(Hebrews 11:34-35)
quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again.....
* God's supernatural strength and protection are available to all those who learn to enjoy His presence often
(Isaiah 53:4-5) Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed
* Forgiveness, Peace and Healing are ours in Christ through faith in the wonderful promises He has given us in His word, the Bible.
How can we Mount Up Like Eagles?
(1 Corinthians 2:14) But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned
When God speaks about mounting up like eagles there are a number of analogies that we could use, but today I would like to focus upon two of my favourites. Eagles often nest either at the top of tall trees or at inaccessible places upon the summit of a mountain. From these positions they are able to launch into the sky as they search for up-draughts that will take them to the thermal winds where they can soar for extended time periods with little or no physical effort. When we learn how to wait upon the Lord it's like finding our own thermal winds that can help us soar effortlessly into the heavens with God!
* Everything becomes easier to accomplish when we begin to work WITH God, rather than merely FOR God!
As they climb to great heights upon the thermals they begin to scan the land far below them by using what has been classified by some researchers as Eagle Vision
This ability allows them to spot prey from miles away even though it is well camouflaged. Spiritual discernment is sometimes explained as the ability to see or know things that can not be seen or known by our natural senses, but instead come through the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
* As believers grow in their ability to walk closely with the Holy Spirit they will find a deeper sense and understanding of what God is doing and saying in their lives.
How can we Run and Not Grow Weary or Walk and Not Faint?
(Hebrews 10:36) For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise
(Galatians 6:9) And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart
It has been said that walking with God throughout life is a marathon race rather than a sprint.
One of the greatest keys to successfully walking with God is to make Him and keep Him as the first love of your life. When spending time with Jesus becomes the most joyful experience in your life, you will be drawn to Him often throughout the day.
The result of waiting upon Jesus and spending time with Him will be an overflow of the abundant life He promised us! Courage is renewed, faith is renewed, strength and endurance is renewed, hope and joy are renewed.
* When we wait upon the Lord we have more life than we personally need, so we can shine our light brightly for God and share the overflowing life with many of those we meet throughout our day.
(Nehemiah 8:10) Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
(John 10:10) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly
God Bless
John Nolan
DadsUni
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The How To: Series
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