Birds, Trees and getting Twisted  

   "Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable.
 He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.
 Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
 Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary." 

 

     Are you waiting? Have you been waiting? Does it always seem as though you are waiting for something? I am. I do. I know the feeling of waiting.....

I was studying the Book of Isaiah last year and came to a startling realization about waiting. It's a part of our walk as believers, an important part. The tricky part the sometimes most painful part. To be at rest and still active in the wait with joy, learning to have Joy and abundant life in the wait is what I want to learn to do. It doesn't mean our hearts don't feel pain, but there is a deeper assurance, that He will show up in that matter we have trusted to Him .

So as I was studying these above verses, I had a moment. Okay I had a couple moments, but the one I want to share today is just something God spoke into my heart with such love. The kind of a love that speaks so loudly that I have yet to stop hearing it, and I pray I never do. My Friend Wendla says talking to me about the Word is sometimes like taking a walk with a Bird dog, and like any good Bird dog, I get instantly sidetracked at the sight of a Bird.  When a word jumps off the page straight into my view. She says it like having a normal conversation and then all of a sudden I shout and point "BIRD!" God did that to me with these verses. Ready.........."BIRD!"  

 

The first sighting was this... Verse29  "He gives strength to the weary"....  He gives it, we don't muster it up, He gives it. I felt like He was saying deep into my heart "Stop trying to get from other people and things what only I can give you!"

The second sighting, and the one that made such a huge impact on me was this..          Verse 31 "Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength;" and it goes on to describe what that strength enables; to mount up on wings, run and not grow tired, walk and not become weary.  I have felt weary at times in my waiting, have you? Have you too felt like you could not take another step? Well, I want to show you something I found, It's a beautiful beautiful "BIRD" if you ask me! 

 

 

I love how first God states He never grows weary or tired, and then states that those who "wait for" Him will gain new strength, His strength. I was struck with those two words..wait for so I did what I usually do when I see a "BIRD" I looked them up in the original language. I am NOT a scholar, or a seminary student. I have had no formal or academic training in these matters. Actually, most my life I was the least likely to be seen with a book of any kind. Until His Word came alive to me and now I search and live for His word to speak to me. This time it spoke so loudly to me that my heart leaped and I was astonished at what I saw. In the Hebrew, the words wait for are actually one word, not two, qavah pronounced kaw-vaw This is the actual definition of the word from the King James Hebrew-Greek Key Word study Bible. The definition is as follows..                            

 

 

"Qavah; a primitive root; to bind together(perhaps by twisting) i.e. collect (figurative) to expect:- gather(together), look for, patiently, tarry, wait (for,on,upon).        A verb meaning to wait for, to look for, to hope for, the root meaning is that of twisting or winding a strand of cord or rope, but it is uncertain how that root meaning relates to the idea of hope. The word is used to signify depending on and ordering activities around a future event."     

 

 

My heart is racing like it was the day I first saw this. Do you see it? "To bind together, perhaps by twisting." In order to wait for Him... I need to be bound to Him! All twisted around Him like a child who runs to her father and jumps in His arms. Wraps her legs and arms around Him, as He wraps His loving strong arms around her and holds her there. He gives strength to the weary. I may be taking some serious liberty here with His Word, but I have found that to wait for Him to move, show up on my behalf, intervene, speak to my heart, I need to be bound to Him. I saw a picture of an Olive tree once that I see in my head every time I hear this verse, my friend Rob painted it. Have you seen an Olive tree? It's trunk is a weaved mass of what looks like smaller branches all bound together around a larger one. I want to be so wrapped around Him, and twisted up in Him, that He enables me to wait for Him!  To me, it's what makes it possible to wait. Sounds funny doesn't it? To wait for Him to show up in what ever you are waiting for, you need to be connected to Him. There is no other God like Him, that you can be fully in His presence to wait for Him!  To wait with peace, to be expectant, to hope for, to wait patiently, look for Him. I have found, can only really be done with Him. To have abundant life and joy in the midst of the sometimes painful waiting. Only He can give you what you need for that!

 

We are in a constant state of waiting as believers aren't we? Waiting on the salvation of loved ones and prodigal children. On God to work renewal and restoration in a marriage, healing of a broken heart, victory over a struggle or addiction. On the ability to run this race with His strength, or just walk without falling, to live a life worthy of His calling on us. To be transformed more into His likeness. Ultimately we are waiting for His return, So we wait. 

 

 

We wait serving Him, loving Him and others with His love, doing the work purposed for us to do since the beginning of time.Waiting doesn't mean frozen! We wait in Joy and in trouble, in struggle and ultimately in victory. We can choose to wait in our own strength or in His. We can choose to wait bound to Him or on our own. I am choosing to get twisted up in Him today and wait with the strength He gives. You have that choice too. He is waiting with arms open to catch you as you jump into His. Feel the safety of His strength and presence. To gain the strength He has to give you. 

 

 

So there you have it.."BIRDS" trees and twisting.  Winds blow and storms come, beautiful days come in laughter and calm. I'm choosing to be twisted up in Him with some "BIRDS" for remainder of my waiting  ...  until He returns.       jus sayin' ;)

Above Tree art by Rob Nordby