Thursday, I was in the car traveling back from an assembly meeting in Oklahoma, so I had time to read a little in my new book The Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin and write two blog posts. I received a blessing from the church services I was in at the assembly meeting, and I would like to share my notes on one of the messages I heard. (An audio recording of the message may be posted on churchofgodpreaching.com soon).
Bro. Leslie Busbee preached on waiting on the Lord. First, he read a remarkable collection of scriptures that illustrated different elements of waiting on the Lord.
Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
(Psa 27:11-14)
Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
(Psa 37:1-8)
Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
(Psa 37:34)
And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
(Isa 25:9)
And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
(Isa 30:18)
But 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.
(Isa 40:31)
And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity. And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD: Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
(Lam 3:17-27)
Many Biblical Characters are inspiring examples of one that trusted and waited on God. First, there is Noah. One hundred years passed between the time God told him to build the ark and the time God sent the rain. Imagining the faith that would have taken, I was encouraged to have patience and faith while doing what God has told me to do. Abraham also had to wait on the Lord for the son promised to him. All of God’s promises are true, and it is impossible for him to break even the smallest one. We can expect he will fulfill his word, but we must wait patiently for his timing. Joseph is another example in waiting on the Lord. God gave him dreams that foretold the position he would have, but I am sure that did not look very likely after his own brothers sold him into slavery and he was forgotten in a prison for two years. Thirteen long years passed in slavery before he was remembered and placed second to Pharaoh, King of Egypt. God had a purpose through all of it though, and Joseph’s persisting faith in God was very admirable. Then David, who was anointed King when he was young, did not have the throne until he was thirty, and for many of those years he was running for his life. His story—and many others—show that God has a plan for our lives, but many times we are not able to see how he is working through our current experiences to get us to that place. It is easy for us to get discouraged and think life is getting in the way of God’s purpose. Just remember that nothing can limit God. Have faith and wait. We also need to wait on the Lord for guidance. Paul, in his missionary travels, often had to wait on God to lead him to the place God wanted him. The story of his journey to Philippi is one such example. (Act 16:6-15) If Paul had not waited for the direction of the Lord and gone instead where he thought best, Lydia, “the seller of purple”, would not have been blessed as she was, and many others may not have been saved. This story is a challenge to wait on the Lord act when he speaks.
It pleases God when we wait on him, accept his timing, and follow his leading. He is honored by our trust in him, and we will be rewarded for our faith.
No comments:
Post a Comment