As I write, it is the final week of the school year, the temperatures are rising, and the birds are filling my backyard with music. We must be entering the summer season. What I like most about this season is that it is easier to get away from my desk and set up in my favorite drafting spot on my back porch. My dog fully supports this action.
Of course, not all seasons are like this one. After summer, we’ll have to contend with the chill of autumn, the darkness of winter, and the rains of spring before we experience another summer.
The change in seasons is one of countless aspects of nature that glorify our Creator (Romans 1:20). The cycle of seasons is necessary for our ecosystem, and it reveals the intentionality and care that God built into the design when He formed the earth.
Changing seasons also illustrate the reality that our lives are not static, but are subject to fluctuations of warmth and chill, rain and shine, and darkness and light.
The Winter Months
In a previous entry, shortly after the end of winter, I shared how my life has been moving slowly since my wife departed to her eternal home. The slow movement coincided with the stillness of winter hibernation. In that stillness, I sensed that God had plans to redirect my work to a new project—one I could not have previously anticipated.
In the entry that followed, midway through spring, I described my challenge in experiencing God’s presence amidst my changed circumstances. Still, I saw emerging signs of life and hope, like new growth in the springtime.
Now that summer is (culturally, if not astronomically) underway, I should expect my spiritual life—and my writing—to be in full bloom now, right?
Not quite.
It turns out that though God created the seasons, He doesn’t strictly adhere to their timing in spiritual matters. I still experience winter-paced slowness in many aspects of my life and work. I’m okay with that, because our God is God in all seasons, not just the warm ones.
A Lesson from Isaiah
The wise pastors, mentors, and voices of experience in my life tell me that I should expect no less than a full year of transition and adjustment after losing my wife. I believe them, and for this reason, I have determined not to make major life changes (regarding housing, employment, my son’s schooling, etc.) right now.
Thankfully, God has graciously put me in a position where none of these things require an immediate decision. I can focus on healing and adjusting while I wait for a little more clarity before making any major decisions.
This notion of waiting—on purpose—reminds me of one of the most popular verses in modern Western Christianity.
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 (NKJV)
Before I get into what this verse says to me in this season, I find it necessary to point out how easily we can focus on the wrong thing in this verse, and put some faulty conclusions to rest.
A Brief Experiment
To prepare this piece, I conducted a (completely unscientific) study of graphics and imagery that utilize this verse. To do this, I conducted an Internet image search of “Isaiah 40:31” and reviewed the first fifty results. Here are my findings:
Observations about the graphics:
- Forty-seven images depict an eagle (all but one was in flight).
- Two images depict a runner.
- One image depicts a feather (from which the viewer infers an eagle).
Observations about the text:
- Seven images emphasize the words “soar” or “wings” (varies by translation) and/or “eagle.”
- Three images emphasize the word “wait” or “trust” (varies by translation).
- Two images emphasize “Lord.”
- Four images did not include the last two lines of the verse.
I know people generate these images to put on posters, mugs, and social media posts for the purpose of spreading hope and encouragement. They sincerely mean well.
Still, do you see the problem? Our cultural interpretation of this verse overwhelmingly focuses on the eagle.
As a viewer, if I’m not careful, I come away from this barrage of imagery thinking that if I’m not soaring like an eagle, it must mean that I am not trusting God enough.
Such a conclusion would be a lie that smacks of the dangerous tenets of the prosperity gospel. It is not—at all—what this verse tells us.
Isaiah 40:31 is not all about being this guy:
It also has something important to say to her:
And to him:
And the best news is that it contains the same promise for each of them. For each of us.
Correcting our Focus
So let’s turn our attention away from the eagle and toward the One who lifts the eagle’s wings. Because He is the same One who sustains us when we are running, or barely walking.
That is the good news—the real promise—of Isaiah 40:31.
No matter our circumstances, our God sustains us. He gives us the strength we need for that day, no matter how great or how small a distance He has ordained for us to travel. He graces each of us with forward movement, even if it is only a single step.
So what is our part in this?
Wait On, not Wait For
We are all familiar with the concept of waiting. We wait with varying degrees of patience for a red light to turn green. We wait with anticipation for a movie, concert, or ballgame to start. We wait with plenty of reading material for the DMV clerk to call our number.
But Isaiah doesn’t call us to wait passively for God. Rather, he instructs us to wait on Him, which means to trust Him with hope and anticipation. This is why some English translations use “trust” or “hope” instead of “wait” here.
I don’t prefer one word over the other, but I do wish English had a word that combines the meanings of “trust” and “wait” like the Hebrew word does. This is a purposeful time for us.
Sometimes, the trusting takes time. We must wait for God’s timing, allow His Spirit to do His work within us, and grow in patience. But we wait not by distracting ourselves with other tasks, nor with agitation that tries to rush outcomes, but by practicing God’s presence in prayer, worship, study, and Christian community.
Then, we take the steps as He illuminates them.
A Few Small Steps
When people ask me how my writing is going, lately my answer is “slow.” I’ve learned that that’s okay. Two months ago, God gave me a new project. So far, my progress amounts to a whiteboard full of scattered notes.
I would prefer to have more to show, but God’s timeline is different from mine. As He uses this season to recalibrate my walk with Him, I realize that the work He has called me to do will not succeed if I rush it. His timing is as much a part of the process as the words themselves.
Each scribbled note, no matter how frequently they come, is another step forward. Another dose of renewed strength. And He promises that same renewed strength to you, whether you are soaring, running, or just walking.
So true. Thanks Jac!
Thank you for sharing your heart and God’s heart.