Bible Study Moment

A long-time favorite scripture passage is Isaiah 40:31: They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like an eagle. They shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

A few years ago a minister shared that the phrase wait upon the Lord intentionally has two meanings. One, to passively wait and the other, to serve, like a server in a restaurant. For those of us who used to call servers waiters or waitresses this seems obvious, to wait and to serve can be synonyms.

In the movie “Chariots of Fire” the meaning is expressed in this scene where Eric Liddle, a British runner in the 1924 Olympics has made a decision to follow his beliefs rather than give into the pressures of being patriotic; that is choosing to serve God rather than King and country. He reads selected verses in Isaiah 40, starting with verse 15, while the film makers show weary runners who look like they might faint.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjF59VB0h6g&t=21s

 

Mark Phillips