Isaiah 40:21-31
Mark 1:29-39
“..but those 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.” Is. 40:31
In many ways Greg and I complement each other with our different strengths, but in one way I easily embarrass him and he exasperates me! We seem to have different concepts about waiting. When I have a destination in mind, I want to get there; whereas, Greg can meander and take his time. This difference between us is particularly noticeable when it comes to lines. I think standing in line is a waste of time, so I make every effort to get on the bus first, to get to the cash register first, to get to the ticket booth first. I try to drag Greg by the hand with little success. It is exasperating to arrive at the head of the line, only to have to end up waiting for him anyway! Then when he finally arrives, he tells me about the person I almost knocked over trying to be first and how embarrassing that is!
So when the Prophet Isaiah said,“...but those 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,” I take notice. Written when the Israelites were
in exile in
The most difficult thing to do is to do nothing, but wait. Yet, waiting requires tremendous trust and confidence. To wait for the LORD is prayer. The most difficult thing about prayer is to trust there is someone listening.
Perhaps, we can understand this more clearly in the Gospel lesson for this morning. A favorite word used by the Gospel writer Mark is the “immediately.” In this first chapter there has been a frenzy of activity since Jesus’ baptism and his forty days in the wilderness. Mark records the calling of the disciples, teaching in the synagogue, and casting out unclean spirits.
Our lesson this morning takes us to the home of Simon and Andrew. Perhaps, Jesus was expecting some respite away from the crowds, a relaxing meal and good conversation. Instead, he is called upon to heal Simon’s mother-in-law. That evening at sundown the whole city is outside the door, the sick and suffering seeking healing. Unlike Simon’s mother-in-law who, after she had been healed, got up and served, those outside the door, get up and go about their lives.
The next morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and went to a deserted place to pray. Prayer brought Jesus back to his vocation, to his call, the purpose of his life. Prayer was not a commodity that made everything all right again when God listened to him, but a listening for God, a waiting for God. Prayer brought Jesus into the midst of struggle and decision, then the renewed confidence that comes with trusting God.
When Simon and his companions found Jesus, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” Jesus told them that they would be moving on because the focus of his ministry was proclaiming the good news. Sustaining life was not simply curing sickness and casting out demons, life was sustained by teaching and proclaiming the good news, a healing of relationship between God and ourselves, and each other.
It is difficult to wait for God. Many times in our lives we simply substitute one activity for another, staying so busy, we loose touch with our inner selves and our God. With the crowd we seek solutions, strategies, and answers so that we can move on to the next thing. Today, we are called to wait, to wait in prayer that listens for God, to wait and be renewed in our purpose, our being, our trust, to wait for God and be renewed.