well worth the wait

Kings shall be your foster fathers,

and their queens your nursing mothers.

With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you,

and lick the dust of your feet.

Then you will know that I am the LORD;

those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.

Isaiah 49:23

There is a unique promise meant only for Israel in this verse. But there is also a universal principle for all those even now who must wait upon the Lord. The promise illuminates the principle. The principle encourages us as we wait.

First, the promise… This is a direct “thus says the LORD” message to the nation of Israel through the prophet Isaiah. The direct message begins in context with Isaiah 49:22. It is a promise of great hope — of a complete turnaround of circumstances. God would not let the Jews stay captive among the Gentiles forever. In fact, when the time would come, the nations into which they were scattered would carry them back to Israel. Kings would treat them like foster princes and princesses, supplying all they needed. And history records their promise as completely fulfilled. In fact, we have the books of Ezra and Nehemiah to see just how true this promise was. The Persian kings provided safe passage back to Jerusalem as the exiles returned. Funds from their former captors rebuilt the temple and the walls of the city. A generation that was born in captivity returned to the full experience of the freedom of this promise as they grew up waiting on God to make it come true. The Jews returned home to find an open door from God all ready for them to occupy. He did it all.

This then leads the the principle… those who wait on God will not be disappointed. God will reward our waiting. God is in our waiting. God IS what we wait for. God also waits with us. God waits for us. Waiting on the Lord NEVER lets anyone down. Not once. Not ever! Waiting on the Lord gives us perspective and brings peace when we really trust the God Who works it all for His glory and our good. And we will never be put to shame as we wait on Him!

Lord,

I will not be disappointed in this season. I will wait with joy. In fact, You are now my reward IN THIS WAITING! I see Your good hand at work even now as I wait. I will know You are the Lord as You continue to bring new life, new experiences, new perspectives, and new hope to me! And in all this, I am confident, You will bring me home again.

Amen