but they who wait for 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. (ESV)

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. (NIV)

When I think back to when I was engaged to my now-wife, I remember it as a season of anticipation, filled with love, longing, and expectation. But it also quickly became exhausting whenever we focused more on the planning, details, and present struggles than on the joyful anticipation of our wedding day.

Isaiah 40:31 says in the KJV, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength...” In this verse, the word translated “wait” or “hope” comes from the Hebrew word qavah, which means “to expect” — to look, tarry, wait.

We are always waiting on the Lord. We wait on Him to supply our needs, and when He does, we wait on Him again, because He remains in control. Whether we are waiting for fertility, employment, marriage, answers to doubt, or some other unfulfilled expectation, we are all waiting for something. And if nothing else, we are waiting for the return of Christ.

As we wait, this verse reminds us that we get to choose how we do it. We can wait in despair, growing weary and faint, or we can wait in hope, trusting the promises of the Lord and being strengthened to soar, persevere, and continue doing good without growing weary.

Dread fills the mind with what-ifs of failure and fear that things will never work out. 

But hope in the Lord says, “What if” He is faithful? “What if” He is kind? “What if” He really does work all things together for good?

We must not become so consumed with the details of today that we lose sight of that Day to come. Engagement is active, hopeful, expectant waiting. And this is how we are to wait for the Lord and for our marriage to the Lamb: actively engaged with Him, expectantly awaiting the wedding to come.

Written by Blake Stanley