It's Worth the Wait
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· 238 viewsThere are benefits to waiting on the Lord
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Or text this morning comes from Psalm 130.....cf on 5-8
A Song of Ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
2 Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
8 It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.
From this text I’d like to use the topic...
It’s Worth the Wait
My brothers and sisters......if there is one thing that most of us don’t like to do.......it is to have to wait.
We don’t like to wait in lines........at a fast food restaurant drive thru.....because it’s supposed to be fast.....
We don’t like to wait in lines ......at the supermarket
We don’t like to wait on hold.....on the phone....
We don’t like to wait to be seated at a restaurant......
We don’t like to wait our turn in lines.....and sometimes....for some of us in here.....you will do what you can.....to skip ahead in the line....... Do I have someone this morning?
We don’t like to wait.
We want things right away.......
That’s why we live in what’s called the microwave generation......we want it right away.
I often times think about what life was like before the microwave.......
Remember when we had to heat up or cook our food on the stove or in the oven.......that would take a good 20-30 minutes to heat up.....and even longer if we had to cook something depending on what it was......
We don’t want to have to wait ....to get it .....to receive it......to have it.....
We want it shipped overnight......because we don’t want to wait.
And for those of you who are Amazon Prime members.....if you want something shipped to you the same day......you can get it the same day.....
Truth be told.....some of us …get frustrated....because we have to wait.
I believe that our society has become spoiled when it comes to waiting......
The statistics show.....that the average person spends 5 years throughout their lifetime....waiting in lines and on hold.
That’s a long time over a lifetime to be waiting in lines......
We want it.......and we want it now........
I believe in our text this morning.....the Psalmist knows a thing or two......about what it means to have to wait......... The psalmist understands the importance of waiting of the Lord.
And even though we don’t like to wait for things....wait in lines.......wait on hold.......
Most of us understand and know the phrase..... “It’s all in God’s time” ......but if truth be told ......... we still have a problem with waiting....
We have a problem with waiting for that blessing.......
we have a problem waiting for the favor......
we have a problem with waiting for God to answer our prayers......
we have a problem waiting on the Lord.....
Don’t get quiet on me now......
I believe that there are some benefits of waiting on God.......
When we wait on God......it means.....
Being prepared to patiently look towards God for his guidance and accepting the timing he proposes.
Waiting on God can lead to an atmosphere of expectation and confidence in God and a realization of the unreliability of one’s own judgment.
Psalm 130 is one of seven Penitential Psalms consisting of confession of sin, repentance, and a desire to return to God.
Five of the seven were written by David. This one is said to be written by Hezekiah.
We will see that the psalmist realizes that there are some benefits of waiting on the Lord......
Let us look at verse 5......
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
I believe our texts let us know that one of the benefits of waiting on God is......
It Leads to Hope......
The psalmist says.....I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope....
We see that the psalmist uses this word......”wait” several times in our passage this morning.....
It the Hebrew verb (Key Va) meaning to …await.....or wait for....to look forward to the occurrence of or arrival of......to hope in someone…
The psalmist …with great anticipation …is waiting for the act of salvation in fulfillment of his word of promise......
He has learned to be submissive to the sovereign Lord, who is the fountain of grace....
As the psalmist patiently waits......he knows that Gods act of salvation and deliverance will come.
And as He waits.....there is something that gets developed......and that is hope.
When we have hope....that means our faith is strengthened.......
The bible reminds us .....that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.....
Your bible may read....that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.....
In other words, when we wait on the Lord....and hope in His word.....it is our faith that is sharpened.....
The Word of God reminds us in Romans 5....
4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
Sometimes we struggle to remember that it's good to wait for the Lord.
It isn't easy. It goes against the grain of our quick-fix society.
But, there's a hidden benefit in waiting.
In times of waiting our soul is revived and spirit is renewed. Isaiah wrote, "but those who trust in the LORD will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint" (Is. 40:31)
The time will come when those who wait on the Lord will soar.
I may not understand what you have been waiting for. It could be: to get married, peace in the family, a job.... or healing. One thing I am certain about is that God's time is the best and God will never disappoint you.
I don’t know who I’m talking to this morning....but I want to let you know.....
It’s Worth the Wait.......
But I believe that our text gives us another benefit of waiting on the Lord.....
I believe my Brothers and Sisters.....that when we wait on the Lord.....
It Leads to Trust.....
Waiting is the process of becoming what God wants us to be. What God does in us while we wait is as important as what it is we are waiting for. Waiting is God's way of seeing if we will trust him before we move forward
That trust is a patient trust. Whether it has to do with our relationships, our finances, our careers, our dreams, or our church worships. We have to trust that God knows what he is doing. Trusting to know that God is still in control even when we don’t understand.....
Proverbs 3 and 5 tells us.....
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
Sometimes people ask, "But what do I do while I'm waiting?". During waiting times, we aught to take on the active role of a watchman.
Look at the text in Psalm 130 verse 6
6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
The psalmist relates waiting on the Lord....to the watchmen......
In biblical times, watchmen vigilantly guarded the city.
They watched for enemies who might attack at night, and they waited for the sun to come up.
They were alert and obedient, ready to respond when needed.
When called upon, they sprang into action.
But on the other hand, watchmen didn't make things happen.
They didn't control the rising of the sun.
They couldn't speed up the process of the dawning of a new day.
A watchman knew the difference between his job and God's job.
In the real issues of life, we can trust God's wisdom and his timing and wait with confidence.
Waiting reminds us that we are not in the position of God.
Truth be told.....
As humans, we want to fix things: To fix our problems, relationships, conflicts, career, and issues at church.
Fixing and controlling situations and people is like trying to expedite the rising of the sun.
From time to time we have to be reminded that we are not God.
Our job is to be watchmen.
So we need to have a watchman's attitude: a confident and alert expectation that God will do what he said he will do
Yes my Brothers and Sisters....... It’s Worth the Wait.
I believe that there is another benefit to waiting on the Lord.......
It Leads to Expectancy.....
Look at the text in verse 7-8
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
8 It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.
The psalmist has confidence in the Lord that all of Israel will be redeemed.......
So he tells Israel to Hope in the Lord.......
The Psalmist encourages his community - God’s people - to place their hope in the LORD.
Israel should know that He is merciful, and they have plenty of experience of His redeeming power.
And just like Israel already experienced God’s redeeming power.....there are several people in the Bible who waited on the Lord.....and experienced His redeeming power....
Abraham.....
Abraham was promised an heir through his wife Sarah despite her old age. This period of waiting lasted 25 years. Sarah did eventually give birth to Isaac “and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised” (Genesis 21:1).
Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness; he trusted in God to keep the promise that his offspring would be numerous like the stars in the sky and sand on the seashore (Genesis 22:17).
Abraham willingly obeyed and trusted God by giving his son Isaac as a sacrifice, believing that God would raise Isaac back to life (Hebrews 11:17-19) and that God would uphold His promise.
This offering of Abraham’s son pointed forward to God’s plans and purposes through Jesus, who would offer Himself as a sacrifice so that nations throughout the world would be blessed. Isaac was saved.
Joseph.....
After being sold into slavery by his brothers and then thrown into prison for a crime he did not commit, Joseph made use of every opportunity that came his way. He interpreted the dreams of fellow prisoners, including one who served as cupbearer to Pharaoh.
The cupbearer forgot about Joseph after his release from prison. Two years passed before Pharaoh needed his own dream interpreted and the cupbearer then remembered that Joseph interpreted dreams.
Eventually Pharaoh made Joseph the second-in-command in all of Egypt. From prison to power, Joseph was placed strategically by God to prepare the land against a famine.
Moses and Joshua......Waiting in the Wilderness in the Hope of God's Promise.....in the wilderness for 40 years.....
Job.....who waited through Suffering.....
David - Waiting to Be King at the Appointed Time
“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry” (Psalm 40:1).
Yes my brothers and sisters...... It’s Worth the Wait......
In God’s covenant love - the relationship which He has with His people - the LORD shall redeem even backsliding Israel, backsliding Church, backsliding Christians from all their iniquities.
This is something that we can all expect to happen......
He reminds them of God’s love that never fails.
He encourages them to recognize that God does not only partially forgive (he offers full or abundant redemption).
God will perform the forgiveness himself.
He will redeem Israel from all their sins.
God is capable of dealing with our sins and restoring us to righteousness.
Romans 8 and 23 tells us....
23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
Yes my Brothers and Sisters....the time will come when we turn in our earthly bodies for our heavenly bodies.......
We are given that promise.....and it is something that we can wait for with expectancy.....
Verse 7 assures us that God has already provided salvation: “with the Lord is full redemption.”
The word redemption (pada) means a transference of ownership from one person to another after the payment of a purchase price.
The word could also be translated “ransom”, usually referring to paying for a slave or a prisoner under sentence of death.
Christ ultimately paid the price for us with His blood shed on the cross.
He redeemed us from the kingdom of darkness and we are part of His family.
He has already paid the cost.
A Grandmaster chess champion examined a painting in an art gallery. The artist had painted a match between the devil and an outwitted young man. The painting showed the two engaged in a chess game being played for the man’s soul. The man is in panic as the devil appears ready to make his final move. The painting was titled Checkmate. The chess champion stood observing the painting for several minutes, then smiled slightly. He turned to the curator and said, “I have good news for the man in the picture—he still has a move.” The father of lies has convinced too many people that he has placed them in checkmate, but the grace of God has provided us the hope that we still have a move. We can cry out to God; He will hear our cry for help; He will raise us from the depths.
It’s Worth the Wait.....