ALL through the ages men have found inspiration and comfort in the beautiful words of Isaiah, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." But beautiful and comforting as these words have always been to the weary ones, it is only in the light of Christian Science that their full and active significance dawns upon the reader, and the special meaning of the word "wait" begins to unfold.
There are at least two meanings to the word "wait." Taken in one sense, the act of waiting indicates a state of receptivity, that mental attitude which lends itself to the detection of the voice of Spirit, an attitude which is so essential in the working out of human problems. It is this listening for the Father's guiding voice by which it is possible to hear the command, "This is the way, walk ye in it."
To the restless activity of mortal mind, this attitude sometimes appears difficult to maintain. Currents and cross currents of mortal suggestions present themselves under the guise of legitimate messengers, and the unwary one may be trapped into accepting what falsely claims to represent divine direction. To hold one's self in the conscious attitude of waiting is to be possessed of that alertness of thought which, with scientific accuracy, discriminates between the real and the unreal. And this waiting attitude is surely a quality available to each one who realizes man's oneness with God and acknowledges the presence of Spirit.
Another meaning of the word "wait" follows in necessary sequence to the first, since the hearing of divine directions is in itself not sufficient for deliverance; for hearing must be followed by obedience. In this sense the word "wait" is seen to be identical with the word "serve." To "wait upon the Lord" means literally to serve Him; to offer unfailing loyalty to the dictates of the divine voice heard and understood; to depend upon Him in every detail of human experience. The tendency to regard waiting upon God as confined to attendance at a place of worship on Sundays, Mrs. Eddy deplores. "It is sad," she says, "that the phrase divine service has come so generally to mean public worship instead of daily deeds" (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 40). It is evident that our Leader saw in the spiritual significance of service an active waiting undreamed of by false modes of thinking.
What, then, does Christian Science demand of mankind? What, exactly, is the true meaning of waiting upon God? Is not the answer summed up in Mrs. Eddy's description of the attitude of Christ Jesus, when she says (ibid., pp. 476, 477): "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick"? This is true service, true waiting upon the Lord. It is to see as real only the divine image and likeness, thereby recognizing the falsity of every opposite claim of mortal mind and casting out all sin, disease, and fear.
What of the glorious reward given to those who fulfill this command— a reward which may be regarded as the active demonstration of spiritual truth in human experience? The prophet's statement is explicit, and is destined to last for all time, meeting every need of every one of God's children: "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
