Have you ever been waiting for something for so long that you eventually thought, “I need to do something”?

Maybe you've prayed about it. You've asked God for direction. But weeks become months, months become years, and nothing seems to be changing.

So you start looking for ways to make something happen.

You try another option. Change the plan. Knock on another door. And sometimes, even when there's nothing more you can reasonably do, you keep telling yourself: What haven't I tried? What if I did this instead? Maybe I should have done that.

Waiting can make us feel like we aren't doing enough. Because when something matters to us, doing something feels better than doing nothing.

But eventually, all that trying can leave you exhausted.

And maybe there's a question worth asking:

What if some of your exhaustion isn't coming from how long you've been waiting, but from how hard you've been trying to get the result right now?

Isaiah 40:31 says: “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles...”

One word in that verse stood out to me. Renew.

We often think about waiting in terms of how long it will be before we get what we're asking God for. But Isaiah draws our attention to something God can give us before the wait is even over: renewed strength.

The situation may not have changed yet. The answer may not have come. But that doesn't mean nothing is happening while you wait.

And maybe that's something we need to hear, because waiting can be exhausting, especially when we're constantly trying to figure out how to make things happen sooner.

The Hebrew word translated as “wait” in this verse is qavah. It carries the idea of waiting with hope and expectation. This isn't giving up or sitting back and assuming nothing will happen. It's continuing to hope in God while trusting Him with our future.

Maybe that's the difference between waiting on God and trying to force an outcome. When we wait on God, we're trusting Him with an outcome. But when we try to force it, we can wear ourselves out trying to make something happen before its time.

Sometimes the hardest part of waiting isn't believing that God can do something. It's accepting that He is not in a hurry the way we are.

We have dates in our heads. I thought I'd be married by now. I thought the business would have taken off by now. I thought we'd have a child by now. I thought this prayer would have been answered by now.

And when those dates come and go, we can start panicking because it feels like we're running out of time.

But our emergency is not God's emergency.

God can see beyond the deadline we've given ourselves. You may desperately want something today that God knows you'll be far more prepared to handle five years from now. You may be trying to leave a season that's developing something you'll need in the next one. You may be forcing a door because you're afraid you'll miss your chance, while God can see what you can't see on the other side of the door.

That's why waiting on God requires more than believing He can do what we're asking. Sometimes it means trusting that if He hasn't done it yet, we don't need to exhaust ourselves trying to make it happen before its time.

There are faster and stronger birds than eagles. So why does Isaiah say those who wait on God will “mount up with wings like eagles”?

One thing that makes an eagle remarkable isn't simply the strength of its wings, but how it uses them.

Eagles have powerful wings, but they don't stay in the air by constantly flapping them. When conditions allow, they spread their wings and use rising currents of warm air to carry themselves higher. They can soar for long periods while using far less energy than they would if they kept flapping.

The eagle is still using its wings. But it also isn't depending entirely on its own strength to stay in the air.

What a beautiful picture of waiting on God.

Waiting doesn't mean you stop applying for jobs, making wise decisions, working hard or doing the things that are yours to do. But there comes a point when you've done what you can, and continuing to push won't give you more control. It will only wear you out.

The eagle has the strength to flap, but it also knows how to spread its wings and let the air carry it.

Maybe we need to learn when to do the same with God.

Start by asking yourself a simple question: Is there something I can reasonably do about this today?

If there is, do it. Send the application. Make the plan. Save the money. Get the advice you need. Waiting on God isn't an excuse to avoid doing what is within your control. But if you've done what you can, be willing to leave the rest with God.

You don't have to check every hour to see if something has changed. You don't have to keep creating new plans because the first one hasn't worked yet. You don't have to force a door just because you're afraid another one won't open.

And when you feel yourself starting to panic about how long it's taking, go back to God.

Pray honestly. Tell Him you're tired of waiting. Tell Him you're afraid you're running out of time. Ask Him for wisdom about anything you should be doing, but also ask Him for the strength to trust Him with what you cannot do.

There will be times when God gives you something to do. And there will be times when you've done what you can, and the next act of faith is to stop flapping.

We usually think the best thing God could do during a long wait is to end it. Give us the answer. Open the door. Send the person. Change the situation.

But maybe the answer isn't the only thing God can give you while you wait. “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.”

Maybe you've been asking God to change your situation because you think that's what will give you your strength back. But God doesn't have to end the wait before He can strengthen you in it.

Maybe your circumstances haven't changed yet. Maybe the answer still hasn't come. Maybe you're still looking at the same closed door you were looking at six months ago.

But you don't have to spend the whole wait feeling exhausted. There is strength available while you're still waiting.

And maybe one day you'll look back and realize that while you were asking God to hurry up and change what was happening around you, He was teaching you how to stop carrying everything with your own strength.

The wait may not be over yet. But you don't have to wait until it's over to soar.

✝ Kingdom Mantra