5/23 Worth the wait

Summary: the ability to wait is a virtue, possesses it if you can.

Hunters wait for the kill

Pregnant women wait 9 months for the birth

Husbands wait on their wives while they shop

Kids who have been bad wait on their dad to get home

Teenagers can hardly wait until they can drive and then turn 21

it is estimated most of us spend from 45-62 minutes waiting on something every single day. That includes waiting for the light to turn green, waiting at the drive-thru, waiting for a cashier, waiting for the nurse to say the doctor will see you now, waiting for geek squad to fix your computer (Scratch that, waiting just to take your computer to fix it), waiting for the mechanic to fix your car, waiting on the barber/beautician to finish your hair, waiting for the kids to finish practice.

Lamentations 3:25-The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

To the soul who seeks Him.

1. It takes courage

Psalm 27:14-Wait on the Lord;

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord!

2. it takes silence

Psalm 62:5-6-My soul, wait silently for God alone,

For my expectation is from Him.

He only is my rock and my salvation;

He is my defense;

I shall not be moved.

Abraham is 75 years old and still has to wait 24 years to have Isaac.

Israel had to wait 400 years to leave Egypt.

Moses had to wait 40 years to bring them to the promise land.

People waited generation after generation, for the Messiah to come.

And we wait!!! We wait thru trials and tribulations, we wait for God to move in our life and we also wait to be with Him forever!

3.It takes suffering

Romans 8:18-For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

4. it takes earnest expectation

19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.

5. It takes hope

25. But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

Paul of course lays it down in a beautiful explanation

Romans 5:3-5-And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

What that means is that biblically, waiting is not just something we have to do until we get what we want. Waiting is part of the process of becoming what God wants us to be.

Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Jules Feiffer once created a strip depicting a man walking down a road. Coming to an intersection, the man encounters a wise man sitting at the junction. The traveler asks the wise man, "Which way is success?" The guru speaks not a word but motions to his left. The man rushes off in this direction and suddenly in the distance there is a loud "SPLAT." Eventually the man reappears. He is stunned and staggering. Thinking he misunderstood, he repeats his question to the guru. Again the guru says nothing but points to his left. Once again the man dutifully heeds the wise man's instructions. Once again after he disappears from sight, an ear-splitting "SPLAT" is heard. When the man returns he is crawling. His clothes are tattered and he is bleeding. He approaches the wise man, "I asked you which way is success," he screams. "I followed the direction you indicated. And all I got was splatted! No more of this pointing! Talk!" The sage finally breaks his silence and calmly replies, "Success is that way. Just a little past splat."

What (Waiting on the Lord) is not!

Biblical waiting is not passive waiting around for something or someone to come along that will allow you to escape from your trouble. People sometimes say “I’m just waiting on the Lord” as an excuse not to face up to reality, take appropriate action, or own up to their responsibility.

I’ve heard of people with horrible financial habits—impulsive spending or refusal to save money—get into a huge money mess and say, “We’re waiting on the Lord to provide.”

Waiting on the Lord is a confident, disciplined, expectant, active, sometimes painful clinging to God.

Waiting on the Lord is the continual, daily decision to say, “God, I will trust you and I will obey you even though the circumstances of my life are not turning out the way I want them to, and they may never turn out the way I want them to. I’m betting everything on you, God, and there is no Plan B.”

That’s waiting on the Lord. It’s the hardest work of hoping.

The main Requirement To Waiting On The Lord.

6. Waiting On The Lord Requires Trust.

A trapeze artists there’s a very special relationship between the flyer and the catcher on the trapeze. The flyer is the one that lets go, and the catcher is the one that catches. As you might imagine, this relationship is important—especially to the flyer. When the flyer is swinging high above the crowd on the trapeze, the moment comes when he must let go. He arcs out into the air, and his job is to remain as still as possible and to wait for the strong hands of the catcher to pluck him from the air. A trapeze artist said, “The flyer must never try to catch the catcher.” The flyer must wait in absolute trust. The catcher will catch him. But he must wait.

So Are You Willing To Wait For God? Are You WillingTo Trust God?