Bible Message/Preaching : Learning to Wait on the Lord!

²⁹He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. ³⁰Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, ³¹But 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. (Isa 40:29-31)

What is the attitude of modern society towards 'waiting'? Its a “got-to-have-it-now” attitude! - Fast-food, microwave cooking, express-lanes (also in supermarkets), courier mail,... We don't want to wait on the phone, or at the doctor's or at any office feels like slow-life has no excitement! In older times: we'd to work hard till we've enough money to buy stuff (espl. Car, house,...) but now its all credit, whether it be cards or a loan. No misunderstanding – nothing wrong in the legitimate use of these facilities, but we need to be wise! How do we tend to a waiting-situation ? Do we want to wait endlessly in a waiting room?

The message preached is: You can have it all now and there is something wrong if you've to wait! But the fact is:

We cannot have it all
Espl. We cannot have it all RIGHT NOW!
And there is nothing wrong in waiting!

What is wrong with this attitude? Instant gratification is almost always sin! cheating on exam and not studying Fraud by corruption to gain wealth without working Debt by spending without tracking the credit and earning sexual sin while not willing to wait for marriage The problem is that we want the good stuff in our time whether or not we're ready for it!

Which Areas do we face waiting-condition?

Career: Do not have the job you like, everything that you try is not working good
Finances: You want to get out of debt or improve your financial situation
Relationship/Marriage: Do not meet the special person despite years of prayer & maybe all your friends being married!
Children: As a childless couple, maybe prayed for long!
Health: prayed for healing in your life, but nothing happened yet
Salvation: You've been praying for your loved ones (spouse/children/parents..) for a long time

We may ask: What is wrong? Why is not God doing anything yet?! Why does He makes us wait? It may feel like swimming against the flow. Maybe we feel like being stretched to the limits! Its not a good and easy feeling if we're honest – but by accepting the fact and giving it in the Lord's hand we can have the rest!

What does the Scriptures say about the situation?

Jesus said: 28"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30"For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Mt 11:28-30 David sang: 13I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. 14Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD! Ps 27:13-14

Ps 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; Ps 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Ps 37:34 Wait on the LORD, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;

The Scriptures is full of waiting-situations:

the bride for the bridegroom
servants for the master's return
farmer for the harvest
return of the prodigal son (involves sinners to God)

What does Waiting on the Lord means? It means to place our desires, current circumstances & people around us into the Lord's hand and trust in His ability to work things out in His way and HIS time!

Examples from the Scriptures

Remember the water-walk story (Matthew 14:22-33)?
Hannah – she endured the ridicule of Peninnah for years (and even the priest) before she conceived Samuel!
Elizabeth – waited till her old age when she conceived John the Baptist
Job – for long time arguing before he got everything back – doubled!!
Elijah – waited on a daily basis for his subsistence in the famine by the brook of Kerith!
Noah – had to wait till God timing for the rain which has never occurred.
Moses – had to guide the people 40 years in the dessert!

Character needed for waiting:

Discipline: Waiting involves discipline, and is an active process. Its not a passive situation a it might come to our minds! And many-a-times its painful! We must not push it too hard nor should we give up! -> there is a balance!! The problem is that we want God's treasures in our time! God's 1 day = thousand years! => He is out side of time!! Trust & Submission to the sovereign will: Trust & Obey! -> The Lord knows the BEST for us! (Ps 37:34) Patience & Endurance -> We must be willing to wait day-after-day until the appointed time! Gal 4:1-2 1Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, 2but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Humility & Hope: When we wait, we accept that we're not in control! It humbles us in the areas we need to be humble Rom 8:25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

We should keep in mind that those who wait has to wait in EVERY AREA of our life:

We know Abraham as the father of faith as it is written: 8By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Heb 11:8-10

But even Abraham had trouble with waiting, being given into Sarah's pressure -> Ishmael was the result -> and it creates problems even till now!!

What is our biggest wait-event?

7Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Jas 5:7-8

Indeed we're waiting for the LORD! The 2nd coming of Jesus! If we can't wait on things that we need in this world, how can we for the one to come? Israel had to and was waiting for the coming of Messiah! BUT, when He came, most of them missed it & did not recognise Him! Except the ones who were waiting diligently for Him like Simeon (Lk 2:25), Nicodemus (Jn 3:2) & even the Samaritan woman! (Jn 4:25) But it took ~33 years for the death by crucifixion and resurrection. But yet, the disciples had to wait 10 days in Jerusalem, i.e. 50 days from resurrection for the out pouring of the Holy Spirit! But, then it was just the beginning of a long wait!! -> waiting for our adoption as children of God! Rom 8:23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

Why wait?

Isa 40:29-31 -> Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength and soar on eagles' wings!!
Thats how we're being processed -> to the image of His Son Jesus!

4For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him. 5You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned; In these ways we continue; And we need to be saved. 6But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. 7And there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us, And have consumed us because of our iniquities. 8But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand. Isa 64:4-8
2 Pet 3:8-9 8But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
PROV 27:18 Whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit; So he who waits on his master will be honoured.

Meditation:

Which area of life do we need to trust in the Lord for His timing?

Which characters do we need to apply in our lives right now to enable it?

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