Isaiah 40:31

“Now this verse — at least in my circles — is famous. It’s been used for several pieces of art, it’s quoted frequently, and it’s actually the all-time favorite verse of my childhood best friend. (He likes eagles.) It speaks to strength, power, endurance, and contains powerful imagery.

And yet, the question often comes up—when someone actually sits down to study it—as to what the first part actually means. After all, how does one “wait on the Lord”...?

In order to do this verse justice, I took the time to study it. I spent some time with the pastors at Abundant Life Christian Center (my current church home), we looked at the Greek and Hebrew, and now, I’m happy to explain it. To wait on the Lord doesn’t mean that one is just sitting around, waiting. This isn’t a verse implying that if you’re kicking back, twiddling your thumbs, that great things are going to happen. Rather, to wait on the Lord means to lean in, to unite with Christ, and to live in accordance with his commandments and his ways. The literal translation of "wait" in the ancient text actually means "to bind together like a cord." The image portrayed by this usage is the creation of a rope, or a cord. Similar to the passage in Ecclesiastes 4:12, saying that "a cord of three strands is not quickly broken," the parallel here is that by waiting on the Lord, you are intertwining with him and becoming stronger. Wait on the Lord, and your rope gains strands, and gains strength, and when that happens, you will mount up with wings as eagles, unstoppable, powerful, and with limitless energy.

Now I personally could recount several stories, comparing my own life as lived by my own strength, vs. what life has been like living in line with God's plan, and his path. There's no question that following God is the one way to ultimate peace, and confidence. Proverbs 14:26 tells us that in the fear of the Lord is great confidence, and I can personally attest to the truth of that. Waiting on the Lord, leaning in and binding with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the way to go. One does indeed get stronger and stronger, on a variety of levels.

Musically, the goal of this piece is to capture the essence of that process. Growing in strength, leaning in, and eventually mounting up in flight, power, and energy. The analogy of the eagle is a majestic one, and the composition here is intended to match.”