The Waiting Game
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Good morning, this is Phil Devaney with the Britton Bethel Baptist Church. We are so glad that you have chosen to worship with us this morning. We would love to hear from you folks, and learn more about how we might minister to you. You can contact us at 517-451-5415. You should also be able to find a link to our church’s website somewhere on this YouTube channel. Britton BBC is located in north eastern Lenawee county, in Michigan. If you live within driving distance, and do not have a church home, we invite you to make us your church home once we are able to have services in person. Until that time, we hope that you will join us on a weekly basis via our YouTube channel, as we study God’s Word together.
Please join me in prayer.
Our Gracious Heavenly Father, we come before you this day seeking your wisdom and help. You have always been faithful to us in the past, and we therefore acknowledge our confidence in your faithfulness in these present times, as well as in the future. We thank You for your continual presence with us, and we long for the times of refreshment which come with meditating on the beauty of Your person. We ask that You hear our prayer, and that you lead us in the way we should go, even when we don’t understand Your ways. Give us the perseverance to wait on You. In Jesus name, Amen.
If you are on our email list you should have received a sheet with today’s text, and the song we are about to sing. Please join with me as I sing TEACH ME THY WAY, O LORD.
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One of my least favorite games in the world is the waiting game. Being impatient by nature I just do not enjoy this game. And I have an idea that most of you don’t either.
Of course, you understand that I’m speaking in jest when I refer to waiting as a game. Actually it falls more in the category of a test, or a virtue, than it does a game.
Please take your Bible and turn to Psalm 27; if you are on our church’s email list you will have received an email attachment with this passage from the Christian Standard Bible, which I am using again this morning. This psalm of David is as much a declaration of faith in God as anything, but it closes with an admonition to wait on the LORD.
We do not know the circumstances behind the writing of this psalm. All we know is that it is a Psalm of David. Some have conjectured that it may have been written during the time in which King Saul was seeking to destroy David. Others have conjectured that it may have been written during the time David’s son, Absalom was seeking to usurp the throne. In either case, David emphasizes his great confidence in God.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we can have every confidence in His protection of us; He hears our prayers; He is our guide, and He blesses those who wait on Him. Therefore, we need not fear during time of adversity.
As we meditate on this psalm we will look at description of God, the reasons for David’s confidence, and the call to wait.
First, let’s read the psalm together. Psa 27
Of David.
The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— whom should I dread?
When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.
Though an army deploys against me, my heart will not be afraid; though a war breaks out against me, I will still be confident.
I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple.
For he will conceal me in his shelter in the day of adversity; he will hide me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
Then my head will be high above my enemies around me; I will offer sacrifices in his tent with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord.
Lord, hear my voice when I call; be gracious to me and answer me.
My heart says this about you: “Seek his face.” Lord, I will seek your face.
Do not hide your face from me; do not turn your servant away in anger. You have been my helper; do not leave me or abandon me, God of my salvation.
Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me.
Because of my adversaries, show me your way, Lord, and lead me on a level path.
Do not give me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing violence.
I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord.
Let’s look first at
The Description of God
The Description of God
First we see God being described as David’s Savior.
The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— whom should I dread?
My light (vs. 1)
My salvation (vs. 1)
The defense of my life (vs. 1)
Spurgeon wrote:"Salvation finds us in the dark, but it does not leave us there; it gives light to those who sit in the valley of the shadow of death … he is light within, light around, light reflected from us, and light to be revealed to us.”
From the perspective of the N.T. we understand that the LORD’s salvation comes through the person of Jesus Christ. God the Father put forward His beloved Son, Jesus Christ to be our sin-bearer. And Jesus Christ, in a sense, put forward the Holy Spirit to regenerate the one who trusts in Christ for his or her salvation.
To trust in Christ means to embrace the message of the gospel, which is:
God
Man
Sin
Death
Christ
Cross
Faith
Life
Next we see God being described as David’s protector.
For he will conceal me in his shelter in the day of adversity; he will hide me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
Next we see the LORD being described as good.
I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
It’s almost like David is going through the process of reminding himself of who his God is in an effort to bolster his courage during a time of adversity.
We can learn from this that during times of adversity in our own lives, we need to stop and reflect on the person and character of God.
Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Let’s turn our attention from the description of God to
The Reasons for Confidence
The Reasons for Confidence
No Need for Fear or Dread — vs. 1
No Need for Fear or Dread — vs. 1
The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— whom should I dread?
This reminds me so much of what Paul said:
If God be for us, who can be against us?
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?
Who is to condemn?
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Paul’s answer to these rhetorical question is:
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So we’ve been looking at how David, or for that fact the believer in Jesus Christ need not fear anything or anyone.
Let’s continue by looking at past scenarios which boosted David’s confidence in God.
Past Situations — Psa 27.2
Past Situations — Psa 27.2
When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.
Situation — Evildoers came against David
The bear and the lion
Goliath
Saul
The Philistines
Absalom
Outcome — They stumbled and fell
The situation was turned on those who sought to destroy David
And this was the result of God’s working
Because of the protection provided in the past David had confidence in God’s protection in the present and future. To show this he presents a
Hypothetical Future Situation vs. 3
Hypothetical Future Situation vs. 3
Though an army deploys against me, my heart will not be afraid; though a war breaks out against me, I will still be confident.
Hypothetical Situation — even if an army deploys against me
Anticipated Outcome — my heart will not be afraid
Because David had experienced God’s deliverance in the past, he was confident in God’s deliverance in the future.
Desire for Continual Presence vs. 4-12
Desire for Continual Presence vs. 4-12
Another reason for David’s confidence was his desire for the continual presence of God; which is the focus of verses 4-12. Look at the
Past Prayer Request vs. 4
I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple.
How many of us could truly say that this would be our greatest desire?
Most desire things such as:
Wealth
Success in our careers
Toys
Bigger houses
Fancier cars
How do we gaze on the beauty of the LORD?
Through contemplative study of God’s Word
In the Bible the characteristics of God are revealed to man
Through prayer
The reason for David’s desire is the certainty that God will be his protector vs. 5-6
For he will conceal me in his shelter in the day of adversity; he will hide me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. Then my head will be high above my enemies around me; I will offer sacrifices in his tent with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord.
Did you know that singing songs to God, in a worshipful manner, is an offering of sacrifice unto Him?
Therefore, through him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.
In verse 7 we shift from a past prayer request to a
Present Prayer Request vs. 7
Present Prayer Request vs. 7
Lord, hear my voice when I call; be gracious to me and answer me.
Sometimes we take God’s hearing our prayers for granted. We don’t always take the time to acknowledge, as David did here, that it is an act of grace for God to hear and answer our prayers.
David’s Commitment vs. 8
My heart says this about you: “Seek his face.” Lord, I will seek your face.
David’s Request vs. 9 Psa 27.9
Do not hide your face from me; do not turn your servant away in anger. You have been my helper; do not leave me or abandon me, God of my salvation.
David's confidence Within a Hypothetical Situation vs. 10
Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me.
I know You’re able and I know You can save through the fire with Your mighty hand, but even if You don’t, my hope is You alone; I know the sorrow, and I know the hurt would all go away if You’d just say the word, but even if You don’t my hope is You alone.
David’s Petition for Guidance vs. 11
Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
But I do like the CSB’s rendering, because it emphasizes the reason for David’s request:
Because of my adversaries, show me your way, Lord, and lead me on a level path.
It is apparent that David is once again being chased by some unnamed enemy. And because of this David is seeking clear direction from God.
What are some of the enemies that we might find ourselves being chased by? We’ve heard constant references about the War against Coronavirus, and in that sense it is a very present enemy. We should be praying for God’s wisdom in dealing with it. We should be praying for our government leaders, both at the State and Federal level, that God would give them the wisdom of Solomon in dealing with this deadly pestilence. The leadership of this local assembly would appreciate your prayers for us as well as we deal with the fallout of this war!
David’s Prayer for Protection vs. 12
Do not give me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing violence.
There are times when God, for reasons of His own secret counsel, allows the believer to be given over to the false testimony of our enemies. And there is certainly no promise that we will ever understand the specific reasons why.
Jesus Christ was given over to the false testimony. But in His case we know the reason why, since God has revealed it in His Word. It was so that He might die as a sacrifice in the place of those of us who have placed our faith in Him as our Savior.
David’s prayer here seems to be that the false witnesses would be seen for what they are — false!
Statement of Confidence in this Present Situation
Statement of Confidence in this Present Situation
Look at:
I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
Spurgeon wrote: “We all know this world is an unpromising field for faith. According to our varied experiences, we must all subscribe to the declaration that this earth is, more or less, a valley of tears, that it is not our rest, for it is polluted … But faith comes into this unpromising field and believes she will see the goodness of the Lord even here … She bears the burden and heat of the earthly toil and expects to experience the Lord’s faithful love beneath it all. She knows she will see more of her God in the land beyond the flood, but still she expects to see the goodness of the Lord even in this land of the living that is so distracted and disturbed with sorrows and cares, trials and tribulations.”
So far, we have looked at the beautiful description of God, and the reasons for David’s confidence in Him. Finally, let’s turn our attention to
The Call to Wait
The Call to Wait
Look at vs. 14
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord.
This is obviously where I took the title, THE WAITING GAME, from.
One of the reasons why the kingdom was torn from Saul and given to David was that Saul was unwilling to wait for the LORD. Lest we be too hard on Saul, we need to recognize our own propensity to not wait on the Lord. Our own desire to DIY — do it yourself!
David, at times, fell into this as well. But on this occasion it appears that he did wait on the Lord.
The more I delve into this beautiful psalm, the more I think that David is trying to convince himself to persevere in his trust in God. The admonition to wait for the LORD was written to admonish himself to do so.
We must depend on Christ for Salvation
Until a person recognizes that he or she cannot fix the most important thing in life themselves they are without hope. The most important thing in life is the broken relationship that each one of us has with God, from the moment of our birth. Only in Christ can that broken relationship be reconciled. And when a person is reconciled to God through Christ, then there is nothing that can separate them from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We Can also Depend on Christ for Wisdom in Trials — James 1:5
And since we can depend on Christ for the reconciliation of the most important issue in life, then we can also depend on Him to see us through any situation that arises.
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.
David sought God’s wisdom. Will you?
Let’s pray.
Dear Lord, I bow before acknowledging my need of You. As the songwriter wrote: I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord. I need your wisdom to handle the big things of life. I need your wisdom to handle the little things of life, as well.
Bolster our confidence in Your protective care by helping us to consider the times when you have helped us in the past. Bolster our confidence in Your goodness. Give us courage so that we will be strong as we wait for You.
I pray that if there is anyone watching this today who senses Your Spirit tugging on their hearts, that they would respond to Your Spirit’s call to place their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. In His precious name I pray. Amen.