Calling and Waiting on the LORD

Calling and Waiting on the Lord CCC Sermon, October 16, 2022 1 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. 2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. (Psalm 116:1-2) 20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. (Psalm 33:20-22) OUTLINE (1) CALLING CLEARLY A. Call early and often because He listens and answers B. Two mistakes 1. Approaching God with fear and timidity instead of boldness 2. Approaching God with presumption and entitlement instead of humility (2) WAITING WELL A. There are two kinds of waiting: active and passive B. Three mistakes 1. Waiting impatiently 2. Waiting with lazy hopelessness instead of expectant readiness (unhealthy passive) 3. Taking over for God instead of waiting with peaceful trust (unhealthy active) (3) BEAUTIFUL BALANCE A. Call Clearly: Boldly, not out of fear. Humbly, not entitled B. Wait Well: With patient peace and hopeful readiness C. You can't have one without the other! Introduction Good morning. It is a privilege to have this opportunity to fill in for our beloved Pastor. And I want you to know that I feel the weight of these few precious moments that I've been entrusted with. But I also have a confidence that our God who is faithful will take my imperfect effort here this morning, and somehow perfect it in our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit. So, LORD, may it be so for your people in this place, in this moment. Amen. Well, our family just got back from Lancaster, Pennsylvania where we watched an epic stage play on the life of King David. It was put on by a remarkable production company, Site and Sound Theater, and I'm not even embarrassed to tell you that this is our second time going down this year to see the play. It was that good. One of the things I really loved about the production was how they weaved many of David's Psalms into the story that was being told. And I bring this up because it reminded me that so many of the Psalms provide us with examples and instruction concerning our topic today. So, I will refer to a few of them as we go. But the passages we just read at the beginning provide a good setup. Psalm 116:2 - "I will call on the LORD as long as I live." And then Psalm 33:20 - "My soul waits for the LORD." These themes are so prevalent in the Psalms, that I bet if we picked one out at random, we'd find one or both ideas, calling on the LORD and waiting on the LORD, expressed in some way. And this morning I really want to talk about these two together, because calling and waiting are meant to be in some sort of harmonious balance. For example, listen to David express these two ideas together in Psalm 130: 1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice! 2 Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! ... 5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; 6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. (Psalm 130) What we have here is calling and waiting together, living in perfect harmony. And that is my aim for us this morning-to understand what faithful calling on the LORD and waiting on the LORD look like together. Now, this might initially seem like a trivial exercise. I mean, what's the big deal? Is this so complicated? Call on the LORD, and then wait for Him to answer. Done. Pack it up. Let's go home. And yet, if I'm honest with myself, I don't think I'm very good at either of these activities. And furthermore, as I've been reflecting on this theme, I think we sometimes gravitate toward one activity to the exclusion of the other. Meaning, in some cases we might be quick to call on the LORD, but then have a hard time waiting for His answer. While at other times, we might wait for God to act, but we're hesitant to call on Him for help. And we can't really do either of these well unless we are doing them both together. That is to say, if we call but don't wait...or wait but don't call..., something will be out of balance, and the whole scale topples over, so to speak. So, with that introduction, we'll go for the 'ol classic 3-point sermon here this morning. First, we'll look at what it means to CALL CLEARLY on the LORD. Second, we'll look at what it means to WAIT WELL for the LORD to answer. And third, we'll explore what it means for these to be in a BEAUTIFUL BALANCE. (1) Calling Clearly A. Why we call Let's start with calling on the LORD. I want to begin with this simple question: why? Why should we call on God? And I think David gives us a very simple, foundational reason in one of the Psalms that was read at the beginning. Psalm 116:1-2 declares, I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. 2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. (Psalm 116:1-2) "I will call on the LORD" why? "Because He hears my voice and inclines his ear to me." In other words, because he listens. Now, if all God did was listen to us, that would not be a sufficient reason to call out to him. But listen to what David says in Psalm 34: 4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. ... 6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. (Psalm 34:4-6) David called out to the LORD and He answered. He delivered. He saved David from his troubles. And so, we too call out to God because He both listens and answers. Let me take a moment to give you a flavor of just how frequently David called out to the LORD. I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. (Ps 3:4) Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death. (Ps 13:3) I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words. (Ps 17:6) In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. (Ps 18:6) Boy, he makes it look easy, doesn't he? And I have no doubt that many here have this same heart of David. I don't know everyone in this congregation well, but I have seen it-a quickness to call on the LORD as the first inclination of your heart. And I want you to know that am thankful for your example of faithfulness in this area. Because, let me be honest, David's example here puts me to shame. I am so quick to go to other things...other solutions...before I go to God, often waiting until I'm at a point of desperation before coming to Him with my needs. You see, I'm good at waiting, but not really the kind of waiting that God calls us to, as we'll see shortly. I wonder if there are some others here this morning that could admit the same is true for them. If so, then my exhortation for you this morning (even as I am preaching to myself here), is call out to God early and often. He listens and He answers. B. Two Mistakes Now, some of you may be starting to feel a little elevated at this point because you are pretty good at calling out to the LORD. But one of my jobs as the one who is preaching in the pulpit this morning is to not let anybody leave here today without some way you can grow in your sanctification. So, you are not completely off the hook yet. Because it may be that the way you are calling out to the LORD could be improved, sanctified, perfected in some way. Now, I'm not talking about magic words and phrases. No, I'm talking about the attitude of our hearts with which we approach God when we call out to Him. And it seems to me that there are two mistakes to watch out for. Let's look at these briefly in turn. (1) Approaching with fear and timidity When I say approaching God with fear and timidity, I have in mind coming to God in the way that someone might approach Zeus, cowering, timid, or fearful of even bringing our requests before him. Afterall, Zeus is a capricious God who would just as soon zot you with his thunderbolt as help you. But that is not the one true God. Let me read a couple of passages in the New Testament to help explain. 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16) You see, because of our relationship to Christ, we can approach God with confidence. If we confess Christ, then He is our advocate, our priest, and our righteousness, giving us access to the Father. And now listen to the Apostle Paul. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. (Romans 8:14-16) So, in addition to Christ, the Holy Spirit is at work in our hearts, enabling us to call out to God with confidence and boldness, instead of with fear and timidity. We were not given a spirit of fear, but one that calls out to God with this very personal and intimate name, "Abba! Father!" So, friends, this is one mistake to watch out for. Let's call out to God early and often, but let's do it with confidence and boldness. (2) Approaching with presumption and entitlement. Now let's look at this other mistake, which is approaching God with presumption or a sense of entitlement. What I have in mind here, is that instead of approaching God timidly as if we are approaching Zeus, instead we approach God as if we are gods ourselves-as if He is obligated to us or owes us something. As if we have earned some sort of payment and He is in our debt. I think, in part, the story of Job illustrates this lesson. Many of you are familiar with the story of Job. He was a righteous man whose life was devastated by the death of his children and a long, painful disease in his own body. After this all befalls him, much of the book is in the form of Job's dialog with his friends, and then finally with God Himself. Let me just read a couple of passages here to give you a flavor. 3 Oh, that I knew where I might find him [God], that I might come even to his seat! 4 I would lay my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. 5 I would know what he would answer me and understand what he would say to me. 6 Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? No; he would pay attention to me. 7 There an upright man could argue with him, and I would be acquitted forever by my judge. (Job 23:3-7) Well, there is definitely boldness there. But do you also hear that sense of presumption or entitlement? "If I just lay my case before God, He'll have to acquit me." And as time goes on and there is no relief for Job, he echo's this idea again that his own uprightness obligates God to respond in some way. For Job has said, 'I am in the right, and God has taken away my right; 6 in spite of my right I am counted a liar; my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.' (Job 34:5-6) In other words, "What's the deal, God? You should be healing me because I did nothing wrong. I don't deserve this kind of treatment!" Well, God does answer Job, and it is fair to say that He puts his sense of entitlement in its place. 2 "Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it." (Job 40:2) 11 Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine. (Job 41:11) You see, friends, one of the lessons of Job is that God is not indebted to us, even if we were to obey Him perfectly. And who here could even say you've done that? Therefore, we should not come to Him with this attitude that He is obligated to answer us in the way that we think is best. We should come to Him as if He is God, not as if we are little gods ourselves. C. Calling on God with Balance And so, stepping back, we see that the way we call on the Lord requires this balance. We should come with boldness, not fear, but we should also come with humility, not entitlement. So instead of following the example of Job (before God corrected his thinking), let's go back to the Psalms again and follow David's example. Listen specifically for that balance of boldness and humility before God in Psalm 31. 5 Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God... 9 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. 10 For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away... 14 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." 15 My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! 16 Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! 17 O LORD, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you. (Psalm 31:5, 9-10, 14-17) Can you see the difference? "O Lord, I am in dire straits. But into your hands I commit my spirit. Please help me, LORD. Nevertheless, I trust in you, and I put my life in your hands." What a beautiful example for us of calling on the LORD with that right balance of boldness and humility. (2) Waiting Well Well, we've spent some time looking at how we should call on the LORD. I think you know what comes next. Because even if we've called out to God clearly and with a pure heart, how often would you say that God gives you exactly what you asked for, and quickly? That's just not the normal pattern, is it? And that's why we are looking at these two activities together this morning, because we not only want to call on the LORD well, but we also want to wait for His answer well. (A) Two Kinds of Waiting And just as there is some balance to find in the way we call on the LORD, so two is balance needed in how we wait on the LORD. Let me try to explain with an illustration. Imagine that you are out at a restaurant with your favorite gastronomical companion. And the two of you have ordered some exotic dishes. And now, you are waiting for your meal to arrive. In the meantime, you are making your way through a glass of water and those nice rolls they put on the table. In a few minutes your water has been fully drained, and the last crumbs of the rolls has been consumed. Now what happens? Well, as it turns out, there was someone else who was also waiting a way off from your table, but they were waiting in a very different sort of way. And when all your water and rolls are gone, boom, the waiter springs into action to wait on you. What I'm trying to illustrate here are two kinds of waiting. One is like a customer waiting for their food. That's a sort of passive waiting. But the other is like a waiter, who is attentive, watching for signs of disappearing rolls and empty glasses, and ready to spring into action when the moment comes. And that is a sort of active waiting. So, what sort of waiting should we be doing when we are waiting on the LORD? Should it be the waiting of the customer, who is passively nibbling and sipping, and perhaps looking at their watch while they wait for their meal to come? Or is it the active waiting of the waiter, who is ever looking around the room for the moment when he needs to spring into action? I would submit to you, and in keeping with our theme today, that it is a balance. There are times when God calls us to passive waiting, and times when He calls us to a more active waiting. And once again, our exemplar for the day, King David, gives us examples of both in the Psalms. Here is one set of examples. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. (Psalm 23:1-2) Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. (Psalm 37:7) My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. (Psalm 62:5) What do you think? Would you characterize this as passive or active waiting? I think it's passive. "Go lie down in those pastures, sheep", "Rest while you wait", "Be silent while you wait." But then, there are other Psalms, like this one. 4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life. (Psalm 27:4) Notice that David asks something specific of the LORD (to dwell in God's house). But look at how he waits: "I will seek after it," he says. There is an activity directly related to what He is waiting for God to deliver. And so, even while he prays, "I ask this of you LORD" and waits for God's answer, he goes out and seeks it. I love how this idea is expressed by the early 20th century Scottish preacher David MacIntyre. In his book The Hidden Life of Prayer, he lists several attributes of faithful, effective prayer, which is really the same thing as calling out to the LORD. And one of the points he makes is that the effective prayer, "Goes out to hasten its answer." And I think that's exactly what's happening here in this Psalm. David asks something of the LORD, and in his waiting, he seeks after it. Let me give you a couple other examples of active waiting in Scripture. 35 "Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. (Luke 12:35-36) These waiting men are dressed for ACTION. They are feeding oil into their lamps continually. And they are literally on their toes ready to spring to the door the moment they hear their master knock. And here's one more. But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. (Micah 7:7) That is the sort of looking, expectant waiting that I am talking about. (B) Three Mistakes Let me bring all this back together now, returning to this goal of finding balance. We have these two kinds of waiting here, one active, one passive. And it is not only the case that different situations in our lives may call for different kinds of waiting, or more likely, some combination of both. But there are also unhealthy ways to wait actively and wait passively. So let me try to frame this as a few different mistakes for us to look out for. And just as with calling out to the Lord, I invite you to consider if the Lord might have a challenge in your waiting on Him. (1) Waiting impatiently First, some of us may have a hard time waiting at all. And we may find ourselves getting impatient with the LORD and even resentful and accusatory toward Him the longer we wait. I want to share a personal story with you, because it is one of the few times I can point to in my life where I can say that I waited well by God's grace, when so many times in my life I have waited impatiently. About 20 years ago, when I was in college, a friend of mine invited me to join a Christian fellowship group on campus. And there, I met a beautiful young lady, who I very quickly decided I wanted to marry. Now, she didn't have any particular interest in me as far as I could tell, and I was much to introverted to telegraph how I was feeling. Nevertheless, I really wondered if she might be the one. And so, I began praying about it. "Lord, let her be the one", "Lord, show me if she's the one", and prayers like that. Well, time went on. Close to a couple of years, and our time in college was nearing an end, and I became even more fervent in prayer. "Lord, make a way", "Lord, what should I do." And you know, through that extended time of prayer, two things began rising in me that I felt keenly. Hope and confidence both. Hope and confidence that He would answer. And this in turn fueled my faith and my prayers even more, each of these feeding the other. Well, finally after two years of waiting I finally felt the Lord telling me to go for it. The time had come. He was ready to answer that prayer. And so, I have inscribed here on the inside of my wedding ring, Proverbs 37:4 - "Delight yourselves in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." Sometimes the LORD has a good purpose in making us wait a long time for something. And in my case, it felt like a very long time indeed. But ultimately, God's timing was perfect. And waiting on Him those two years was a faith-fueling, hope-inducing, joy-producing time in my life. Well, I know many of you have waited much longer for answers to prayers that are just as significant in your lives. And I know that waiting is often very hard to do and does not always feel so productive or inspiring. And so, for those of you who are waiting on the Lord now in the midst of some great trial or need, and struggling with impatience, depression, or a loss of hope that the LORD is out for your good and will answer you in the perfect way at the perfect time, let me point you once again to the Psalms of David. I'm just going to read a few verses from Psalm 40, but I encourage you to read the whole chapter later at home or perhaps in your small groups. Listen... I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD. 4 Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie! (Psalm 40:1-4) Friends, our God is faithful. He rewards patient waiting. Notice in verse 4 that some, in their impatient waiting, turn to other solutions. But put your trust in the Lord because the time is coming when He will draw you up out of your distress and put a new song of praise on your lips. But just because we are waiting on the Lord, it doesn't mean we should stop calling on Him. You see, David did both together. And so, just a few verses down in that chapter, even as he's waiting, David calls out to God this way: 13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me! ... 17 As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God! (Psalm 40:13-17) Those of you who are waiting on the Lord this morning-who feel like they have been waiting for so long that they cannot wait any longer-Let me urge you not to stop calling out to Him. God hears you, and when you call to Him, He will give grace to continue waiting patiently. Now, this Psalm also has something to say to those who have seen God's answers in their own lives. 9 I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD. 10 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. (Psalm 40:9-10) Friends, this room is full of stories of God rewarding patient, hopeful, prayerful waiting. Don't keep those stories hidden. But share them with your brothers and sisters who need encouragement and reminders that God is a prayer hearing and answering God. (2) Waiting with lazy hopelessness instead of expectant readiness (unhealthy passive) Here is a second mistake we can make while waiting on the Lord. We talked about these two kinds of waiting, active and passive. Some of us may be prone to waiting passively in an unhealthy way when we should wait more actively. What I mean is that we are being too lazy in our waiting. Too resigned to our fate. Too fatalistic. Not waiting with hope and expectation that God WILL answer. Not having that watchful readiness that we read about in those earlier passages. Not attending our waiting with appropriate faith-filled action. It's a sort of passive waiting, but an unhealthy one. Instead, the Lord may be calling us to wait with more hope and expectation, perhaps in some way hastening an answer by seeking that for which we've asked. (3) Taking over for God instead of waiting with peaceful trust (unhealthy active) The third mistake we can make when waiting on the Lord is the opposite. Maybe some of us have been guilty of waiting too actively when we should be waiting more passively. What I mean is that perhaps in our zealousness to hasten an answer, we have taken over for God. And our active waiting which is meant to come alongside God becomes untethered from His purposes, and instead, we start taking matters into our own hands, much like Abraham did when he went down to Egypt and gave his wife to the Pharaoh to hasten progress on God's promises to him. So, this is a sort of active waiting, but an unhealthy one. Instead, the LORD may be calling us to wait more quietly, patiently, restfully, and at peace, trusting in the LORD's good timing. So friends, these are three mistakes to avoid when waiting on the Lord, and I invite you to examine your own hearts and see if there is room for sanctification in your waiting. (3) Beautiful Balance Well, we have finally come to this last point, a beautiful balance. And this is really just a summary and a bringing together of all that's been said. There is some balance to look for when calling on the LORD. We want to come to God with our requests boldly, not out of fear. But we also want to come with humility, not a sense of entitlement. In the same way, there is some balance to look for when waiting on the LORD. There may be times we should be waiting passively, in sort of a state of restful, peace. And there may be times we should be waiting actively, with readiness, and in some way seeking that for which we've asked. And finally, there is a balance between calling on the LORD and waiting on the LORD. You really can't have one without the other. They are intertwined. They are two sides of a coin. But there are also things working against us. Sin, fear, lack of trust, pride, control, laziness, and a host of other sinful impulses and weaknesses in our heart that may keep us from calling out to God or waiting on Him. Friends, we need the help of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit by whose power we cry, "Abba, Father." And we need the help of Jesus, our great high priest sympathizes with our weakness, and invites us to approach the throne of grace. Well, I know where the Lord is challenging me this morning. How about you? Is He inviting you to call out to Him with more boldness? Or perhaps it is with more humility. Or maybe He is asking you to wait more patiently for His answers, trusting in His good timing. Or maybe there are some unhealthy ways that you've been actively or passively waiting on Him like those we discussed which need correction. Well, God is patient and kind with us, and with the help of Christ and the Holy Spirit, I pray that we will be able to call on the LORD and wait on the LORD more faithfully, and with the kind of beautiful balance that we see in the Psalms of David, a man after God's own heart. May it be so for each of us this morning. Amen. Prayer Dear Lord, here are you people, broken, and in need of help. And yet, sometimes we do not even turn to you in our hour of need. Or we turn to you, but with selfish hearts or foolish motives, or pride, or entitlement. And sometimes Lord we are impatient in our waiting. And so, we confess this to you Lord this morning. And we ask you to forgive us for the ways we have been faithless, fearful, proud, or entitled. Thank you, Lord, that we can come before you and receive this forgiveness. And now Lord we ask for your Spirit of power and grace to rest on your people and to help us to call on you with boldness and faith, and to wait for you with hope and joy. And fill your people with joy as we leave this place today renewed in our hearts and minds by the Power of your Spirit. In Jesus' precious name, Amen. Benediction 20 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! 2 May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion! 3 May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4 May he grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans! 5 May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions! 6 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. 8 They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright. 9 O Lord, save the king! May he answer us when we call. (Psalm 20)