Untitled Sermon

In The Waiting

Big Idea of the Series: In this series we will see how to consider what it means to wait upon the Lord and to reflect on God’s presence amid our waiting.

Week 1: The psalmist painfully longs for God’s response but chooses to praise him anyway.

Psalm 13:1–6

Psalms are important part of the Bible. The psalmists ask “How long?” roughly twenty times. Since this question is found so frequently in sorrowful literature, we can be assured that the biblical authors also knew what it was like to wait for God’s deliverance. We are not alone when we ask God how much longer we must endure our trials.

“The psalm turns on the strange, freighted gap between verses 1–4 and verses 5–6 when something decisive and transformative has occurred. What happened at that point is a matter of hypothesis. The most popular guess is that, at this point in the dramatic articulation of the psalm, a divine oracle of assurance (‘salvation oracle’) was declared by an authorized pastoral/liturgical speaker as a response to the petition of verses 1–4. Although that is a plausible explanation for the movement of the psalm, it is not a necessary conclusion. It may just as well be that as the cry of need is articulated, the urgency is spent. The speaker may fall back on a more elemental assurance of faith. Whatever happened ‘in between,’ the movement permits us to work both backward to petition and forward to doxology”.

“The psalmist’s lament (verses 1–2) is reinforced by the repetition of How long? at the beginning of each of the four lines of the two verses, thereby emphasizing his feeling of having been completely abandoned by Yahweh. … How long is not so much a question regarding the precise time the state of God’s silence will end, but rather a plea that Yahweh break the long silence and reveal his power”.

“The rhetorical movement of this prayer, so characteristic in Israel, is from ‘plea to praise.’ The wonder of these prayers is that the prayers move, so that everything is different at the end from what it was at the beginning. Although the form of rhetoric accomplishes this move, we should not miss that it is the power and transformative agency of YHWH that makes the dramatic movement possible. The issue finally is not literary or rhetorical but theological”

If you’ve ever been on a road trip with small children, you know they relentlessly ask, “How much longer till we get there?”

· It can be a frustrating experience for the parents.

Thankfully, when the road trip finally ends, the kids are bursting with excitement to be at the destination. No matter how many times we ask God, “How long?” let us always remember that one joyful day he will make all things right.

We live in the age of convenience. An ever-increasing number of our tasks can be automated. You can get high-quality, well-cooked meals in minutes. All of this makes us more and more impatient.

In our faith journeys, we must relearn patience.

We operate on God’s timing.

So we should praise him, even while we wait.

Application Point:

We should not let seasons of waiting prevent us from praising God.

During church services, especially in times of waiting for personal breakthroughs, actively engage in worship even more.

· Step outside of your comfort zone:

o Sing with enthusiasm

o Lift your hands in praise

o Share a testimony about God’s faithfulness in past seasons of waiting

By declaring His goodness publicly, you encourage both yourself and others to remember His promises while waiting.

If you’re stuck at home or other responsibilities, use this time for an intentional season of worship.

· Create a dedicated space where you can play worship music, read the Psalms, and invite the Holy Spirit into your home.

· Engage your family in this practice, making it a communal time of praise.

This can transform your waiting into an active celebration of faith that resonates throughout your household.