Waiting & Praying
Notes
Transcript
Today we are concluding our series on the Book of James. If you have not read James, go back and read this short book. There are only 5 chapters. It won’t take you long to read it. If you don’t like to read, find it in some kind of audio device and listen to it.
Over the last few weeks we have learned quite a bit from Jesus’ little brother and the pastor of the church in Jerusalem. We have talked about testing and persevering through those tests. We have learned to listen and then do what He says. We’ve learned how faith and works go hand in hand. And last week we have learned that the tongue is something that is hard to control. This week we are finishing strong by learning to pray and wait.
Take a moment and put yourself in James’ shoes. The church was in a time of persecution and James is writing them and asking them to wait on God. Or he’s telling them to pray for a miracle. Most of us want a quick solution to our problems. We don’t like waiting and we sometimes find it hard to believe that a miracle is coming if we’ve prayed for weeks, months or even years and no answer.
We live in a world where we want instant gratification. We want it now. For the last several months I have been waiting for our tax return. I have gone through this before so I believe that it will come, it’s just taking a long time to get here. We don’t like to wait.
But that was the life that James was living. That’s the life the early church was living. And whether or not you’ve ever faced life or death persecution I can guarantee you that the long you follow Jesus the more opportunities you’ll have to learn the value of waiting and praying. It’s where He does some of His best, more providential, and inspiring work.
In the 14 years that I have pastored Cliff Terrace I could tell you countless stories of where we the church prayed and had to wait. One particular story, when I came to Cliff Terrace, one of our goals was to pay off the church debt that had hung over the church in almost the entirety of its existence. When I became Pastor the church had $200,000 in debt. For a church this size that may not seem like much but we were only running 25 people at the time. Paying a mortgage wasn’t easy. It kept the budget tight for many years.
We would pray and ask God to deliver us from this debt, but nothing big would happen. We would have a few checks come in that would help us pay the bills but no big relief in sight. We would pray and wait.
It wasn’t until I was pastor here in year 7 that we decided to sell the land across the street. We would mow this land every week but other than an easter egg hunt in didn’t serve us any purpose. So we decided to sell it. And we would pray that it would sell. For one year we prayed and prayed and finally it sold. It took everything we had and the money we made from the selling of that land to pay off the debt. It took 9 years for the answer that we had been looking for. Today, I have served this church 14 1/2 years and we are debt free. It was a trying time and I believe that I grew in that process learning to wait on God.
So, if you have your Bibles go with me to the book of James, one more time and go to chapter 5. I will begin reading in verse 7.
7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.
How many of you pray for patience? Patience isn’t something that most of us have. But this is a powerful encouragement for believers both then in James’ day and today.
Patience is one of the fruit of spirit in Galatians 5:22. And patience is one of the core characteristics of those who follow Jesus.
Look at the first statement again. “Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming.”
They were anticipating the Lord’s return just like all of us do today. We here it all the time. He’s coming soon.
And as much as James talked about action and works, he also believed that being patient and waiting were powerful options in the hands of the church.
Then James continues...
7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.
8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.
9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
In verse 11 James refers to Job’s perseverance. Perseverance is an interesting word. It carries the meaning of a persistent, active patience. It is not a passive endurance; it is a work-while-you-wait lifestyle that reflects an active faith in whatever trials we may face without losing our hope and trust in God. Perseverance is often developed through faith that triumphs through sufferings.
15 Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.
The outcome of the Lord’s dealings with Job reveals that in all Job’s troubles, God cared deeply about him and preserved his life and hope. James wants us to know that God is concerned about all of his people and that, in their suffering, he will sustain them in love and compassionate mercy.
10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.
Think about the good that came out of Job’s story. He suffered and through that suffering he became closer to God. God restored Job to something far greater than he could have ever imagined for himself. And there is good news for all of us who believe that even though we may suffer here one earth there is a promise that we will reign with God for all eternity for our faithfulness.
When I think of waiting for God to move and enduring suffering, I think of Joseph and all he went through after his brothers sold him into slavery. He was sold as a slave into Potiphar’s household. During this time in Egypt he was accused of rape and thrown in jail. Eventually through interpreting some dreams Joseph would become second in command in all of Egypt.
It was a long road and an enduring one but waiting on God is what brought Joseph to the top.
Waiting isn’t easy, and especially in the world we live in today. We live in a microwave society.
One of the pictures we have of my sweet Granny Woolf is one where she is standing by her first microwave that I believe her kids bought for her for one of the holidays, like Christmas or mother’s day. If you remember the 80’s, the microwave was very rare and it was a luxury item in the kitchen. Now we have them in every home and in every office all over America. This is the world we live in today.
Why wait when the problem can usually be fixed with a few mouse clicks? Why wait when I can buy something with 60 days same as cash financing? Or you can watch a movie now with just a push of a button on your tv remote. You have instant coffee and instant rice. And if you have to wait more than a minute in the drive thru you are telling your driver, “let’s go!” We want it now.
We have built a culture to be efficient, precise, and productive. And amazingly, we are no closer to being peaceful, content, and satisfied than when we began. But look at what God tells us...
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for 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.
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Waiting isn’t passive. Waiting is powerful. And adopting a posture of patience is a strength, not a detriment to all of those who profess to be followers of Jesus.
Waiting is the first part of our text and James finishes up his letter by encouraging us to pray. Look at verse 13.
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
So, here is James advice to you.
Are you in trouble? Pray.
Are you happy? Pray louder.
Are you sick? Call someone else and have them pray.
Are you starting to catch on what you need to do in all things.
Paul gives us the same advice in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray continually,
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
The will of God is that we would always rejoice, always pray, always be giving thanks. And I know most of you are thinking there is no way that I can pray all day long much less just praying 15 minutes or even 5 minutes a day. But think about it this way. Look at James 5:16-17
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
The prayers of the righteous are powerful. Singing songs of praise in the midst of suffering is powerful. As we learned last week, our words matter. And in the kingdom economy they carry an immeasurable value.
So, listen to me carefully. If you want to supercharge the waiting and maximize the returns on your patience, then add prayer to the waiting. Whether you’re in trouble, happy, sad, sick, make a habit of prayer and trust that every word offered up to the Lord carries with it the power to effect change in the midst of your circumstance.
This was the attitude that Elijah had when he prayed again and again that rain would fall on the land.
41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”
42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.
43 “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”
44 The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”
45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.
James reminded us of this story. He reminds us that he was a man just like us. The extraordinary thing he did was pray fervently and believe, and God brought healing rain on the land.
Prayer matters. And when you add fervent prayer in the mouths of the righteous, you supercharge the season of waiting. For those who believe, patience and prayer are two of the most powerful forces on earth.
Please understand the pastor’s heart that James had for his church. And I believe for this church. This is also a message for the church today.
If you look throughout history you will see that the trials and tribulations haven’t changed so much over the years. Sin and destruction are still crouching at your doorstep every morning, and their desire is to “have” you. The enemy of our souls is still seeking to steal, kill, and destroy. But in the midst of this present darkness and chaos shines the ever present light of Christ. His glory, power, and majesty won’t fade away and someday sooner or later he’ll return for His church.
This morning I want us to take a moment and spend some extra time in prayer. If you have a need and you want us to pray with you, come to the front. Whatever that need may be, we want to pray. We read the scripture, if you are sick call for the elders of the church and believe in faith for you to be healed.
Let’s take some time and spend it around these altars this morning.
Come.