A great deal of time, anxiety, and money could be saved if we began our day waiting expectantly on the Lord to show us and teach us His ways. We may reason
in our minds, however, that spending time waiting or doing nothing would only add pressure and stress to our already busy schedule.
But, in reality, the only thing that will remove stress and pressure is to answer God’s call to fellowship with Him.
Isaiah tells us the results of those who expectantly wait on the Lord:
“But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and
mount up close to God as eagles mount up to the sun; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired” (Isaiah 40:33
AMP).
The word wait in this verse does not mean to hang around like we would for a bus to arrive. In the original Hebrew the word “wait” means to bind together by twisting; braiding.
Imagine God being a strong steel cable and us being a weak string. When we spend time in the presence of God we wrap ourselves around Him, taking on
the strength of the steel cable. That’s what Isaiah meant when he said those who wait on the Lord change and renew their strength and power.
Proverbs 4:23 instructs us to guard our hearts diligently from the things that rob us of the life God has planned for us. It says, “Keep your heart with
all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (NKJV). The life of God resides within our hearts, but that life is stolen from us
when the cares of this life enter in. It can happen very subtly, so we must be diligent to guard our hearts.
If we do not guard our hearts, we can suffer from what Dennis describes as an “overcrowded heart.” The Amplified Bible says this about an overcrowded
heart:
“…the cares and anxieties of the world and distractions of the age, and the pleasure and delight and false glamour and deceitfulness of riches, and the
craving and passionate desire for other things creep in and choke and suffocate the Word, and it becomes fruitless” (Mark 4:19).
Cares, anxieties, distractions, and other things do not come without a purpose. Their purpose is to choke and suffocate the Word so that we will be barren
and unfruitful.
Many people associate barrenness to the inability to conceive a child. The Bible, however, refers to barrenness in other areas as well. Second Peter 1:8
says when we add particular characteristics to our lives we will not be barren or unfruitful. The essence of barrenness is the inability to produce
life—in any area.
We must pay close attention to the cares and distractions that steal our focus. They are sent to rob us of abundant life. Let’s make a commitment to begin
producing life in every facet of our lives today!
