byD. Stewart Briscoe
THEY THAT WAIT
O NE OF THE MOST WONDERFUL prom ises of Scripture is found in Isa. 40:31, “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.” The Lord intends that His promises should be thoroughly enjoyed by His people. All too often, however, we never seem to fully appropriate them. It may be that we don’t understand that they are to be claimed with those condi tions fulfilled which are always at tached to them. The first promise is that we can re new our strength. The word “renew” means to “exchange.” We can trade our weak strength for the power the Lord desires to give us. Examine your own heart to see if you have claimed this promise of God. Are you living in the conscious enjoyment of this realization? Here is a promise of new vigor. If there is one thing we des perately need in our lives as well as in the church it is this. Christ tells us to be strong and of a good courage. We are urged not to be afraid. The reason these exhortations are made is because the Lord knows that of our selves, these are the things we aren’t. If you go about it God’s way you will be able to exchange all your fear, weakness, and d e fe a t for His strength, thereby asserting a new vigor. The second promise is that we can “mount up with wings as eagles.” Re cently, while down in Jamaica, I found the weather so tremendously hot that some people took pity on me. I was invited to their beautiful home located on the hillside overlooking the harbor of Kingston. The cool breezes were blowing and for an Englishman, not used to the heat, it was delightful. While there in the mountains I no ticed a bird soaring to great heights
above. While we had a magnificent view this winged creature could see much more. It was gliding along with the currents just resting on the aero dynamics provided by God in His matchless creation. The Lord tells us that if we will only claim His promises He will do the same for us. We will not be earth- bound anymore, limited to our own narrow vision. To be liberated from a materialistic approach we need a vis ion enabling us to mount up and see things as God does. Remember, where there is no vision, the people perish. There is a dreadful lack of vision concerning the need of the world all around us. Too many can see no fur ther than “the end of their nose.” Ask the Lord for a new vision and be as sured that He will give it to you. The third consideration given to us in this portion is, “They shall run and not be weary.” This is quite a para dox, for even among young people who are quite healthy and verile, run ning causes tiredness. God, you see, is promising a new kind of vitality. This is the opportunity to come up against hard situations and to run straight
Ground is broken for the new Marshburn Hall, missions-alutnni building. From left to right is Rev. Harry Bascom, Alumni president, Dr.Ray A. Myers, Biola Board chairman, Mr. Sylvester Marshburn, and Rev.Harold Dunning, Biola Mis ions director.
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