Run to win

"Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified." 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 - New Living Translation

Run to win... what does that mean exactly? I have been running for over 8 years now, and have run numerous races over those 8 years, but have never won.  The closest that I have ever come to winning was a Laps for Lupus 5k back in 2003.  I was the 3rd man to finish over all (I was actually the 5th finisher, passed by 2 women from the Vanderbilt University Cross Country Team... but 3rd man over all).  Back in those early years of running, I worked hard and tried to be competitive, but never won. Run to win? Really? I may have stood a very thin (microscopicly thin) chance of winning back in my yonger years, but now that I'm getting ever-more close to 40, it seems like those chances have come and gone.  It's a hopeless cause.  I'll never win a race. So when Paul says "run to win," that's challenging.  What does it take to win?  Where do you even start? Especially when you aren't even capable of winning.

See this guy to the right?  That is Ryan Hall, just after winning the 2008 US Men's Olympic Marathon Trials. He holds the American record for the Half Marathon (59:43) and the 2nd fastest time ever recorded for an American in the Marathon (2:06:17). His marathon time breaks down to an average pace of 4:49 per mile. If you want to get an idea of how fast he runs, try this challenge: go out to a High School track and (after warming up) try to sprint 100 meters in somewhere between 17 and 18 seconds. If you can manage to run 100 meters that fast, imagine keeping up that pace for 26.2 miles. That's Ryan Hall. He knows what it means to "run to win."  In fact, right now he is training to hopefully win the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on 10-10-2010.  So when the Apostle Paul writes about "atheletes being disciplined in their training" and "running with purpose in every step," Ryan Hall knows what that means, as well.  In this blog entry, Ryan gives us a little insight into a day in the life of a professional runner.  Running to win requires a lot of work and dedication, and as Ryan alludes to, a complete lifestyle change.

The discouraging thing for me in all of this is even if I had the time to fully give myself to running and had all the corporate sponserships and the world-class coaches like Ryan has, I still wouldn't be able to win.  I would probably get better... but I would never be able to get to the winning level.  You see, people like Ryan Hall are gifted... genetically gifted. Their bodies have been crafted in such a way that they are able to run long and run hard... really hard.  Their bodies are genetically much more efficient than mine.  Their bodies have a greater capacity for transporting energy and oxygen to their muscles. Their body mechanics are nearly perfect with no wasted steps and no wasted effort.  They are finely tuned running machines.  No matter how hard I tried, I would never be able to match their abilities.

The same thing is true in life. No matter how hard we try, we are never going to win at life.  Our bodies, otherwise known as our flesh, are inferior.  They are not capable of winning.  We may try really, really hard... we may read lots and lots of books... we may master every one of Steven Covey's 7 habits... we may get out there and sweat and sweat and sweat till we can't sweat any more... but when it all comes down, we will fall short of winning.  So how in the world can Paul, in all sincerity, challenge us to "run to win?" How cruel to give hope for such a hopeless possibility.

Ahh... but there is hope.  There is good news.  There is a way for us to run and win. While I may never have a chance at winning a major marathon (or even a major 5k for that matter) in the body that I now have, what would happen if I were imbued with all of Ryan Hall's fitness, endurance, strength, running know-how, and genetic giftings? If that were possible, then I would actually stand a chance at winning a race or two.  Well... that is exactly what happens when we as believers in and followers of Jesus, become born again.  The only person ever to truly finish the race as a 100% winner was Jesus. When we believe in Him and on Him then we become one with Him.  Then His abilities become our abilities... His gifts become our gifts... His power becomes our power... His success becomes our success.  This has been at God's heart from the beginning.  He has always wanted mankind to be winners... but we loused that up through sin.  Now, through Jesus, we not only have a fighting chance, but a winning assurance.  If you don't believe me, check out this promise from the first testament in the Bible:

"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations." Ezekiel 36:25-27 - New Living Translation

Through the prophet Ezekiel, God is talking about being born again through Jesus.  Check out these passages from the New Testament:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes." Ephesians 1:3-4

"I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new!" And then he said to me, "Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true." And he also said, "It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children." Revelation 21:3-7

See... we can run to win.  We can be victorious. However, not on our own.  As ridiculous as it would be for me to challenge Ryan Hall at the Chicago Marathon this October 10th, it is as equally ridiculous for me to try and win at life on my own without Christ.  The same is true for you.  It is impossible.  But in Christ, all things are possible!

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be writing on what it takes for us to run to win.  Just like Ryan Hall (no matter how gifted he may be) has to work hard to get his body to perform at its best, we are challenged by Paul in the scripture above to discipline our bodies and to work out our salvation.

So until then, let's run the race... to win!

Is it... safe?

"Is - is he a man?" asked Lucy.
"Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not.  I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea.  Don't you know who is the King of the Beasts?  Aslan is a lion - the Lion, the great Lion."
"Ooh!" said Susan, "I'd thought he was a man.  Is he - quite safe?  I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."
"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."
"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver.  "Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe?  'Course he isn't safe.  But he's good.  He's the King, I tell you." - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Safe: protected from or not exposed to danger or risk; not likely to be harmed or lost. That is a word that Americans like a lot... something that we value very highly.  We like to be safe and we like to be comfortable.  We even pay companies thousands of dollars a year to protect us from risk, should an unfortunate event ever come our way.  We come home each afternoon, close our garage doors, and seal ourselves in from the outside world.  We lock ourselves up in our christian bubbles, praying that we don't actually encounter an unbeliever... and especially not an unpleasant unbeliever.  We do everything in our power to stay in our comfort zones... to surround ourselves with safe people... and then hop from church to church or job to job at the slightest whiff of a challenge to our norms. Safe.

Perhaps that's one of the reasons our culture is so unfit.  Our bodies don't stay fit by themselves.  They require challenges to keep them in good condition.  There is no neutral.  Doing nothing means you are actually losing ground.  You have to work just to maintain ground.  To improve fitness requires even more work.  But we like safe.  We don't want to risk the possiblity of discomfort or pain... or even that we may get a little out of breath and break a sweat.  That doesn't feel good, so we stay safe... on the couch, in front of our TVs, in our air-conditioned homes.

For those who are sincere followers of Jesus, this culture of safeness poses a great problem. Jesus is not safe.  Truly following Jesus is not safe.  Jesus never promised comfortable and safe... but what He did promise was that He would be with us until the end of the age... and while Jesus is not safe, He is good.  He is the good shepherd who protects His sheep.  Jesus was always calling his disciples out into dangerous waters.  Twice, as His disciples were following Him, they got stuck out in the middle of the Sea of Galilee during a horrific storm that threatened to take their lives.  Did they die?  No.  Jesus was with them.  One time, Jesus even walked across the water to be with them and keep them safe.  Ooops, there's that word again... safe.  This begs the question: which is safer? staying safe in our bubble away from the dangers that we will face with Jesus... or being in the company of an unsafe but good Jesus, following Him wherever He leads us?  Check this out:

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.  He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and your staff, the comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23

And this:

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident. One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavillion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock." Psalm 27:1-5

And this:

"If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things... Who shall seperate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?... Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:31b-32,35,37-39

And this from the mouth of Jesus Himself:

"Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep... I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and do destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep." John 10:7,9-11

If you want to be "safe and secure" in the American Dream, then you have that choice.  It's hard to lay aside our culture's definition of success... of safety... of wisdom even... and embrace the fullness of life that you and I were created to have.  Even now, I ask myself the question, what do I love more, my safety or my Saviour.  If you and I want to truly be safe and have a life that is abundant, then we need to lay aside our safety to be with the unsafe but good Jesus in everything that He does and calls us to do. As unsafe as it may seem, the safest place to be is in the center of the Good Shepherd's will for your life.

What is His will for your life?  Basically, it is to lay aside the weight and sin that ensnares us and trips us up, and run with endurance... run to win (I'll be writing more about this later)... and ultimately to run with Jesus.

Let's not run "safe."  Let's run with the Unsafe One.  He's the King, I tell you.

A Lesson on Worship from an Unlikely Source

"But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:23-25 (New Living Translation)


See the furry face to the left?  That is Angel, our four-footed family member.  We adopted her as an 8-week old puppy last December as a Christmas gift to the family.  From what we are told, she is an Australian Shepherd mix... mix being the operative word... because we really don't know all the dog breeds that are in the mix.  Since she is a shepherd, and since we got her around Christmas, and since the heavenly host appeared to the shepherds at the first Christmas, we decided to call her Angel.  At times, she lives up to her name and at other times, she doesn't.


Those of you who have cable or satellite television have probably heard of the show, The Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel.  Cesar Milan is a dog psychologist, and the show follows him as he goes into difficult doggie situations and teaches doggie owners how to lead and master their dogs.  Since bringing Angel into our family, we have become fans of Cesar and The Dog Whisperer show.  Since I wanted to avoid having many difficult doggie situations, I decided to buy and read one of Cesar's books: "How to Raise the Perfect Dog through Puppyhood and Beyond."  According to Cesar, the perfect dog is calm-submissive.  For a dog to be calm-submissive, the dog's master (or pack leader) needs to be calm-assertive.  By nature, dogs want to be led by a calm and strong leader.  The presence of a calm and assertive leader puts their minds at ease, and enables them to be calm-submissive.  So, before we could have a calm-submissive dog, we had to learn how to be calm-assertive (calm being the important word here).  The picture above is Angel in all her calm-submissive glory.


By now you are probably thinking, "That's nice that you have a calm-submissive dog... and that she even has a Christian name... but what does this all have to do with worship... and running." Well... to answer your question... a lot. Believe it or not, the Bible was not written in English.  The New Testament was actually written in Greek.  Our English versions (yes, even the King James Version) are translations of the original Greek.  The Greek word that is translated as our English word 'worship' is the Greek word 'proskuneo.'  To find out what worship means in the passage from John above, we need to find out what proskuneo means... so stay with me: Proskuneo is a compound word. 'Pros' is a Greek word that means to or towards.  The word kuneo is a derivative of the Greek word for dog (kuon) and literally means to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand.  So when you put the words together you get one word that means to kiss the hand of the one who is the object of your respect and adoration.  Therefore, worship (as defined by the original Greek) is all about submission, respect, reverence, adoration, love, loyalty, devotion, and intimacy... basically the way a good dog is to its master.


So... back to Angel.  Because I have been a calm-assertive leader to her, she sees me as her trusted pack leader, and is therefore calm-submissive to me... she loves being with me... her devotion and loyalty to me is unending... and she showers me with love and affection.  When I sit in my office and work at my desk, she comes in and sits at my feet.  As soon as I get up to go into another room, she is always close behind... always with her eye on me to see what I am doing and where I am going.  When it is time to eat, instead of diving into her food, she waits for me to tell her that it is ok to eat.  When we go outside, she doesn't bolt through the door.  She waits for me to go out first, and then she follows.  When it's time to come in, she waits for me to enter the house first.  When I come home from a long day at work, she can't wait for me to come inside.  As soon as she hears the sound of the garage door opening, she is there waiting at the door for her beloved master to come in so that she can shower me with affection.  When she is getting a little crazy, I tell her to sit, and she sits.  When I want to take her on a walk or a run, she is always ready to go... and along the run, she does her best to stay right with me.  If she gets ahead, all it takes is a short correction and she comes right back into alignment.  Are you starting to get the picture?


Because I am a runner, I wanted to make sure that we got a dog that could go running with me.  Because Angel is a shepherd dog, she is a perfect running companion.  Shepherd dogs are known for their energy and endurance.  When they are out on the range herding sheep or cattle, they have to be able to endure hours of running.  Because of Angel's breed, I know that she will make a great running dog one day... but because I love her, I haven't fully released her to be the running dog that she may one day become.  Angel, because of her devotion and desire to please me, would probably run with me unto exhaustion or even death if I allowed her to do that.  But I know things that she, as a dog, doesn't know.  I know that she hasn't yet reached 1 year of age, so her bones, joints, connective tissue, etc. are still developing.  A long run could create a permanent injury.  I also know that dogs don't handle heat as well as humans do, so a long run in the heat could easily cause her to have heat stroke or even death.  I know that black asphalt on a sunny day gets really hot and could burn her paws.  I also know that, even though she is a shepherd dog, she has to build up her endurance just like any other living creature.  She would probably gladly run with me as far as she was physically capable... but because I love her and care for her, I don't lead her into something that is going to be harmful to her.  Because she is fully submitted to me, she would gladly run with me anywhere, even if it killed her... but because I love her I will never take her anywhere that she is not able to handle.  The book of Hebrews says this: 

"And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith." Hebrews 12:1b-2a (New Living Translation)

Basically, the way that we run this race of life with endurance is we keep our eyes on Jesus... going wherever He goes, doing whatever He does, even if it kills us... but knowing that because He loves us, we can trust Him implicitly to not run us ragged and kill us, but to perfect us.  That is worship.

So... back to Jesus' statement on worship.  The Father is seeking true worshipers. He is looking for people that will be calm-submissive before Him... people that are surrendered to Him, fully submitted to Him in reverence, completely loyal to Him, and intimately devoted to Him.  Not for His sake... but for our sake.  It is through true worship that God can do amazing and unbelievable things in us and through us.

Let's run the race... looking unto Jesus our leader.

The heat is on!

What a hot summer we have had in Middle Tennessee this year!  I've been without my heart rate monitor for most of the summer.  I lost it in the locker room earlier this year and finally got around to ordering a replacement.  This morning was my first opportunity to run in the opressive heat with my HR monitor on.  The effect the heat had on my body was surprising.  A run, that under normal conditions should have been easy, had my heart pounding away like I was running speed intervals on the track. That got me to thinking that some of you out there may be struggling through the opressive heat as well, and could use some helpful information.  So... no spiritual analogies this time around (unless you want to come up with some on your own).  Just some info on how your body handles heat and some suggestions on how you can beat it.

When God designed the human body, He designed it to be quite adaptable... even giving us a built-in cooling system.  Part of that cooling system is the blood.  Blood does a lot of things in the body: it carries fuel and oxygen to our cells, and carries away waste and toxins.  Another thing that it does is help regulate our internal temperature... much like antifreeze in a car engine.  When the temperature starts to rise, your body begins to sweat.  As the sweat evaporates, it cools off the blood that is near the surface of your skin.  As the cooled blood is circulated throughout the body, it keeps your internal temperature from rising too high.  That system works pretty well unless an outside phenomenon interferes with it. That outside phenomenon is called humididy.  Yes, the dreaded "H" word that all of us in the south have to deal with.

Humidity is the measure of water vapor in the air.  The higher the humidity, the more water vapor in the air.  As the humidity rises, the rate at which our sweat evaporates slows down.  On really humid days, our sweat doesn't evaporate at all.  No evaporization, no cooling of the blood.  No cooling of the blood, no regulating of our internal body temperature.  So what happens then?

Well, as our body temperature starts to rise, our heart starts beating faster to try to get more cooled blood circulating through the body.  And since the blood isn't really cooled, the body produces more sweat to try to cool off more... and our hearts keep beating faster... more sweat... higher heart rate... more sweat - you get the picture.  Eventually, because of all the sweat that you are producing, your body becomes dehydrated... which makes the heart's job all the more challenging.  Eventually, if your internal body temperature does not get under control, you will begin to suffer heat exhaustion, which can then lead to heat stroke.  Not a pretty picture.  So, what can we do to help prevent that unpleasant cycle.  Here are a few suggestions:

• Get rid of the cotton. Cotton absorbs moisture.  If you have a soaking wet cotton shirt clinging to your body, then your sweat is not able to evaporate from your skin.  Instead, invest in clothes made with "wicking" material.  Wicking material is designed to "wick" moisture away from your skin, allowing it to evaporate, and keep you relatively cool.
• The more exposed skin, the better. Wear as little clothing as you can while staying modest and legal :).  If your skin is exposed to the open air, it increases the chances that your sweat is going to do what it is supposed to do.
• Run in the dawn and twilight hours when the sun is low on the horizon... and if you can't do that, try to find routes with a lot of shade.
• Stay hydrated. You are going to sweat, and you are going to lose water from your body.  Don't wait until 30 minutes before a run to chug-a-lug a gallon of water.  Your body can only process so much water at once. Drink fluids throughout the day... and take water breaks during your run as well.
• Know when to stop.  Read up on the symptoms of dehydration and heat exaustion/heat stroke (see links above) and know when you need to shut down your run.  Heat exhaustion or heat stroke is not something you should attempt to run through.

So keep these things in mind as you head out in the heat.  Let's run the race, smart.

Two is a couple, Three... even better.

"Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (New Living Translation)

Last week, during our Saturday group run, one of the girls in our group commented on how much easier the Saturday runs seemed to her.  She wasn't sure if it was because together we were running a slower pace than her mid-week runs, or if it was just the comraderie.  After asking her a few questions, it seemed like our pace was consistent with what she was running during the week... so the answer was not our pace, but the group itself.

If you read my entry last week about dealing with mental challenges, you may have thought: "That's nice and encouraging, but I'm not strong enough to deal with mental challenges on my own... I can't do it by myself."  If you would have said that to me, I would have said, "Exactly. You can't do it on your own. You need other people to run with you."

People are not meant to be alone.  They were not designed to handle challenges all by themselves.  If we go back to the beginning, we see that mankind was made in the image of God... and if we look closely, we see that God Himself is not singular: "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...' (Genesis 1:26a)."  God is One, but He is One in three, aka "The Trinity" (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit).  Later, in a closer view of the creation process, we see that after creating Adam, God said: "Is is not good that man should be alone... (Genesis 2:18a)."

There is a myth in American Christian culture that says we prove our strength and maturity by how well we handle things alone.  If we admit that we need help, then we admit to our weakness and lack of faith, etc. Sincere believers will say things like, "All I need is God... If all I have is God, then I'm good."  This is not true.  Jesus Himself said that there were two great commandments: 1) love God and 2) love people.  In fact, if we look closely at the 10 commandments, we see that the first four commandments have to do with loving God, and the remaining six have to do with loving people.  So if we walk according to the "all-I-need-is-God" premise, then we are leaving out 60% of the commandments.  It is true that God has all you need, but more often than not, God gets the things we need to us through people.

Needing people is admitting to a weakness in ourselves, but it is in our weakness that we find strength.  Saying that we aren't self-sufficient is humility at its basis... And the word of God has some interesting things to say about humility:

"...Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." 1 Peter 5b-7

Peter mentions submitting to one another and submitting to God... walking in humility with one another and walking in humility with God.  God gives grace to the humble... He gives grace to those who admit they don't have it all and can't do it all by themselves.

I am an introvert by nature, so I really like running by myself. Introverts get energized during their times alone. Extroverts get energized when they are around people. So, I look forward to my runs alone, as it gives me time to focus and get ready for the rest of the day.  But, as much as I like running alone, the last time I trained for a marathon, I knew that I needed to train with people.  I tried to tell as many people as I could that I was training for a marathon (not because I was trying to brag on my endeavor, but because I knew I needed their support), and I sought out a group to train with on those long, long Saturday morning runs.  Could I have toughed it out by myself? Possibly.  But I knew that by submitting to others, I would find grace; and grace was what I needed much more than the ego trip that I would receive by saying I did it all by myself.

When we are liked with people there is a flow of grace and life that is not there when we are doing things on our own.  In God's economy, 1+1 does not equal 2. His economy is exponential. see Deuteronomy 32:29-31. I think King David of old said it best: "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! For there the Lord commanded the blessing - Life forevermore (Psalm 133:1,3b)." When we link arms together, God commands a blessing of life to flow over us and through us.

So back to my story at the beginning of this post.  Why did the Saturday group runs seem so much easier, even though the terrain and distances covered were more challenging? She was experiencing the commanded blessing of God that comes when people link arms in unity... she was experiencing the grace of God that is given when we humbly submit to one another.  I will end with this encouragement from the writer of Hebrews:

"Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." Hebrews 10:24-25 (New Living Translation)

Let's run the race... together.

Wait...

This morning, I read a passage in the book of Psalms that spoke of waiting on the Lord: "Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed... (Psalm 25:3a)."  After that verse, there was a short commentary of what the word wait in the Bible actually means.

By nature, people do not like to wait.  Sitting around and doing nothing seems counter-productive, especially since we have so much to do.  Who has time for waiting.  But the Bible is constantly calling followers of God to wait:

• "Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!" Psalm 27:14
• "I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord." Psalm 40:1-3
• "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

After reading those scriptures, one would think that followers of God are just supposed to sit around and wait for God to do... something. Waiting on the Lord (in a Biblical sense) is far from passive.  The Hebrew word that has been translated into the English word 'wait' is qavah.  Qavah is actually a primitive root word in the Hebrew language that means to bind together (perhaps by twisting).  In fact, 'qavah' is actually the root of the Hebrew word for a cord (as in a 3-stranded cord is not easily broken).  So qavah is actually the process of the three individual strands becoming one cord. That should bring a whole new perspective to the word wait.  Waiting is not sitting around passively.  Waiting is becoming intertwined with the God of the universe to the point where His desires become our desires, His strength becomes our strength, His peace becomes our peace... basically the process of becoming transformed into the image of God.  If we try to take off half-cocked without first being transformed, then we are going to fall on our collective faces.  But if we allow God to transform us into His image, and then begin doing things with God, a whole new level of effectiveness and possibilities are open to us.

During the 1950s and 60s, there was a coach from New Zealand by the name of Arthur Lydiard that has since become recognized as the best running coach of all time.  During the time that he was actively coaching (and even in current times) his coaching philosophy (no matter how effective it was) was and still is considered controversial.  Because of that, he was rarely recongnized by the other running coaches of his day.  Lydiard believed in order to fully optimize a runners performance, the runner needed to train as if he was preparing for a marathon.  Lydiard's training plan called for 3 months of doing nothing but long, slow and steady runs at a really low effort level. He referred to this 3 month period as building a runner's aerobic base. This seemed to fly in the face of common sense: how can you become fast if all you do for three months is run long and slow.  Contemporary exercise physiology has recently proven why Lydiard's plan was so effective.  During the aerobic base building period, a runner's body goes through a physiological transformation: the body builds more blood capillaries to increase blood flow, the heart becomes much stronger and more efficient in the way it pumps blood around the body - which basically translates into greater endurance.  Runners that included the 3-month long base building phase in their training had the endurance to sustain higher levels of speed over any given distance than runners who did not include the base training.  Put simply, the runners that allowed themselves to go through that aerobic transformation process were able to run and not grow weary.

So how do we run the race with endurance? We wait upon the Lord.  Which is why Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29)." And later said: "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing (John 4-5)."  He was teaching His disciples that they needed to become intertwined with Him... they needed to become one with Him... they needed to wait on Him, for without allowing themselves to be transformed into His image, they could do nothing of eternal significance. The same is true of His disciples today.

There is no neutral.  There is only forward progress or negative regress.  Sitting around doing nothing is actually moving backward.  So let's stop waiting around for the Lord (in the passive sense) and start waiting on the Lord (in the Biblical sense) and run the race with new-found endurance.