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what are the modern practical implications of 'waiting' when facing large scale crises?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Isaiah 40:31

“But those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings as eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.”

This verse is from the book of Isaiah, written by the prophet Isaiah to the people of Judah. It comes in a section (chapters 40-55) known as 'Second Isaiah' or 'The Book of Consolation,' where the prophet addresses a people facing exile or already in exile, offering words of comfort, hope, and reassurance about God's power and faithfulness amidst their suffering and despair.

How does the concept of 'waiting' challenge or inform our modern impulse for immediate action when confronted with overwhelming problems?

Then — the setting

The prophet Isaiah likely ministered in Jerusalem during the 8th century BCE (chapters 1-39), but the message of Isaiah 40-55 is generally understood to address the people of Judah in the late 6th century BCE, either on the eve of the Babylonian exile or during its later stages. They faced immense national crisis: the destruction of Jerusalem, the temple, and forced displacement from their land. 'Waiting for Yahweh' was not passive idleness but an active, hopeful expectation that God would intervene and fulfill his promises of restoration, despite the overwhelming evidence of their current desolation and the perceived impotence of their God in the face of Babylonian power. It called for steadfast trust rather than seeking alliances with other nations or despairing.

Across the Testaments

In the Old Testament, 'waiting for Yahweh' often implies patiently enduring hardship while trusting in God's future deliverance and justice, as seen in Psalms and prophetic books like Isaiah. This concept is picked up in the New Testament, though sometimes reframed through the lens of Jesus's resurrection and the expectation of his return. New Testament writers (e.g., Romans 8, James 5) encourage believers to 'wait' with endurance, faith, and hope for God's ultimate plan, which includes salvation and new creation, drawing parallels between the Old Testament's promise of physical restoration and the New Testament's spiritual and eschatological hope. While the immediate crisis changes from national exile to personal and communal suffering in the 'already but not yet' kingdom, the active, hopeful nature of waiting persists.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Psalm 27:14
Encourages patience and courage while waiting for God, echoing a similar theme of trust.
Lamentations 3:25-26
States that God is good to those who wait for him, linking waiting with hope even in deep sorrow.
Romans 8:25
Connects waiting with hope for what is not yet seen, suggesting an active, enduring expectation.

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