This concept appears in fifteen verses in the book of Psalms, five times in Isaiah, and a few other scattered times throughout the Old Testament. Most of the commentaries I read on the passages say the same thing. They encourage us to wait and renew our strength. The concept is that we are tired, and God calls us to wait so that we can be physically and mentally prepared to take off again.

While reading this week, I was struck by something else about this phrase. Another reason that we are called to wait is that we are always running ahead of God.

When my children were little, my wife and I would take the boys for a walk. They would get on their tiny bikes and take off ahead of us. We would specifically say, “You can ride to the next road, and you have to sit and wait at the crosswalk for us.” They always wanted to move at a quicker pace than we could walk, and they loved the freedom of speeding ahead.

Often, the call to wait on the Lord is the response when we have been running ahead of him. We had our own dreams, plans, and desires, and we took off on our own. The stopping is not so much to rest as it is about getting back on God’s timing and plan.

God’s pace always seems slower than mine, and whenever I am tempted to run ahead into the unknown without his guidance, I should stop and wait for him to join me to lead me in the right direction.