We wait for you
Isaiah 26:8 - Waiting patiently for the Lord is a common theme in the Bible, one that seems to have been forgotten in our current culture of instant gratification.
“Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.”
Isaiah 26:8 NIV
Chapter 26 of the Book of Isaiah is a song — a song of praise, a song of trust in the protection provided by God to His people. This specific verse begins with a reminder to God that the people have been “walking in the way of your laws”… or does it? The ancient Hebrew text of the beginning of the verse is more accurately translated as “we’re following the way of your judgements”.
The Hebrew word translated in the NIV version of the Bible as “laws” is מִשְׁפָּט (mišpāṭ), which the Strong’s concordance defines as “a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree”. It’s almost as if the song is saying “we’re waiting for your verdict on our behavior, Lord”!
Looking at the time of Isaiah, the Judeans were frequently in situations where they relied on God to protect and deliver them (for example, during the Assyrian threat). By singing “we wait for you”, Isaiah and those singing the Lord’s praises with him are emphasizing their patience in God’s deliverance of them, as well as their faith that He will deliver them. They confidently expect that God will fulfill His promises, particularly because they feel that they have kept up their part of the covenant with God.
The second half of the verse — “your name and your renown are the desire of our hearts” — demonstrates an intense desire for His presence and acknowledgement of His sovereignty over the world. Since in the culture of the time a name described the essence of a person (for example, Isaiah means “I save”, David means “Beloved”, and Jesus means “God is salvation”), God’s names (Yahweh/Jehovah, Elohim, Adonai, and so on) revealed His essence, His mighty acts, and His faithfulness.
The verse concludes by stating that God’s people thirst for His presence and justice with all of their hearts, which is in line with the first commandment as outlined in Deuteronomy 6:5 — “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
Waiting patiently for the Lord is a common theme in the Bible, one that seems to have been forgotten in our current culture of instant gratification. As believers, our faith and righteous living should display our trust in and devotion to God in the form of patience.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, we walk in the path of Your truth, trust Your Word, and wait for You with hopeful hearts. Your name is holy, and Your glory is our greatest desire. Teach us to live each day as faithful servants, with our hearts and minds fixed on You. May everything we do bring honor to Your name, AMEN.