Waiting Anxiously

WAITING ANXIOUSLY

Psalm 62

INTRO.

I heard recently about a man who prided himself on being exceedingly punctual.  He followed a very precise routine every morning.  His alarm went off at 6:30 a.m. He rose briskly, shaved, showered, ate his breakfast, brushed his teeth, picked up his briefcase, got into his car, drove to the nearby Ferry Landing, parked his car, rode the Ferry across to the downtown business area, got off the ferry, walked smartly to his building, marched to the elevator, rode to the 17th floor, hung up his coat, opened his briefcase, spread his papers out on his desk, and sat down in his chair at precisely 8 a.m..  Not 8:01, not even 7:59.  Always at 8 a.m..

He followed this same routine without variation for eight years, until one morning has alarm did not go off, and he over slept 15 minutes.  When he did awake, he was panic-stricken.  He rushed through his shower, nicked himself shaving, gulped down his breakfast, only half-way brushed teeth, grabbed up his briefcase, jumped into his car, sped to the Ferry Landing, jumped out of his car, and looked for the Ferry.  There it was, out in the water a few feet from the dock.  He said to himself, "I think I can make it," and he ran down the dock towards the Ferry at full speed.  Reaching the edge of the peer he gave an enormous leap out over the water and miraculously landed with a loud thud on the deck of the Ferry.  The captain rushed down to make sure he was all right.  The captain said, "Man, that was a tremendous leap, but if you would have just waited another minute, we would've reached the dock, and you could have walked on."

Why is it that we are always in a hurry?  I think mostly it is because we hate waiting.  We hate waiting on the phone for technical support.  We dread the thought standing in the customer service line or worse at the DMV.  We want things now.  So we have our instant breakfast, microwave popcorn, simple no-hassle divorce and car pool lanes on the freeway for a somewhat faster commute. 

If we would just slow down we could ease some of the stress in our life.  Too many mistakes are made when we rush through things.  Here are some actual announcements taken from church bulletins.

1.      Remember and pray for the many who are sick of our church and community.

2.      For those who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

3.      Thursday night -- potluck supper.  Prayer and medication to follow.

4.      Theme verse for the women’s retreat at my dad’s church.  “I am the vine, you are the branches…apart from men you can do nothing.”

5.      Don't let worry kill you -- let the church help.

We just need to slowdown.  But waiting is no fun.  Waiting seems to produce anxiety.  It is stressful.  Especially when we are waiting on more serious things.  Some of us are waiting for a diagnosis.  Some of us are waiting for a cure.  Some of us are waiting for a mate.  Some of us are waiting for a job opening.  Some of us are waiting for our prodigal children to come back home.  Some of us are waiting for our children to get out of the house!

And it can be hard to wait when tough times come.  When a house doesn’t sell, when you can’t get pregnant, when God just seems to be silent on a matter, when He is just saying wait.  Our natural reaction is to take action, to do something about the difficult times or unanswered questions.  We want answers and if God is not going to give them to us then He must want us to do something about it, we reason.  Do you remember the story about Sarah who was promised by God to have a baby.  She waited and waited to get pregnant until finally she took things into her own hands in disobedience to God.  When things get desperate we charge ahead in all our strength only to find ourselves drowning in the whirl pool of our own anxiety and circumstances.

Have you ever felt like that?  Have you ever been so beaten down by your circumstances or by the unknown that you are ready to just give up.  If you have ever felt like that.  Good.  I think that is right where God wants you.  Sometimes God allows us to be overwhelmed so that we have no other choice than to rely totally and absolutely on Him.

I remember an anxious time in my life.  I was at Dallas seminary when my mother was undergoing cancer surgery.  She had cancer throughout her body.  There wasn't much the doctors could do.  Their main concern was to control the pain.  Among other things mom had a large tumor in her spinal cord.  And the doctors said that there was a chance to ease some of the pain if they removed the tumor, but the surgery would be risky.  It turned out that the tumor was worse than they thought and in removing it they had to dig too much of the vertebra away.  The bone then collapsed onto her spinal cord. 

Dad bought me a plain ticket home.  He took me to the hospital and, expecting the worst, I walked in.  Only a small light and the glow of the monitors lit the room.  When our eyes met mom winced in pain.  I didn't know what set the pain off.  It just happened.  And it happened over and over again.  After our visit I stepped out of the room and walked down the hall and wept uncontrollably.

I had to go back to Dallas to continue with my education.  But that was difficult since I believed mom wasn't going to survive much longer and I wanted to be there.  When I got back to my dorm room that evening, I closed the door and sat there in the darkness. I was in a whirlpool and going down fast.  I didn't want to see anybody. I didn't want to talk to anybody.  I just wanted it all to be over.  I couldn't understand why God was letting her suffer.  This didn't seem fair.  And God seemed so far away.  I wasn't hearing any answers.  What else could I do but wait. 

But isn't that where we find ourselves most of the time?  Waiting? Lets look briefly at David's situation in Psalm 62.  Jump down to verses 3 and 4.  We don't know the exact context of this Psalm, but it appears that David, as king, is feeling threatened.  The people around him are working deviously to make him  ineffective as a leader.  Listen to what they are doing to him and how he feels about it.  Ps 62:3-4, " How long will you assault a man?  Would all of you throw him down -- this leaning wall, this tottering fence?  They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take delight in lies.  With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse." 

This is an anxious situation that David finds himself in.  The same people who are acting like his friends are working covertly to de-thrown him.  They are spreading rumors and lies, yet greeting him with a friendly smile.  How does this make David feel?  Look at verse 3, “Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence.”

Haley is going through the stage where she loves to spin around and around until she is so dizzy she falls down.  Only to get back up again and spin some more.  She actually enjoys that feeling of being a little off-balance.  I know when I spin her around I feel sick very quickly.  But she wants daddy to do it again and again.    How do you feel when your off-balance?  Not by spinning around.  But when life spins you around.  Have you ever felt the way David felt?  Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?  Ready to crumble over at any minute?

So what are our options?  We can take action and move ahead of God's timing or we can wait.  If we choose to wait we can wait anxiously or we can wait peacefully.  As we talk about waiting peacefully I want you to know that waiting peacefully does not mean we will not experience strong emotions.  God has made us emotional beings, to experience the highest highs and the lowest lows. 

The message today is about a change in perspective resulting in a change of emotion, from waiting anxiously to waiting peacefully.  On your outline you see there are two kinds of waiting.  The first is waiting anxiously when our focus is on our circumstances.  The second is waiting peacefully when our focus is on God alone.

Read together with me from your outline Ps 62:1-2 from the Living Bible, "I stand silently before the Lord, waiting for him to rescue me.  For salvation comes from him alone.  Yes, he alone is my rock, my rescuer, defense and fortress.  Why then should I be tense with fear when troubles come?" Now I will read the same verses from the NASB where David declares, "My soul waits in silence for God only; from him is my salvation.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be greatly shaken."

Now if you are in the middle of a waiting situation it may be difficult for you to declare to the world as David did, "My soul waits."  But look at what David did in verse 5 after reflecting on his situation in verses 3 and 4, and recognizing that his situation was desperate.  He repeats the same words, but now instead of declaring to the world that his soul waits, he quietly addresses his soul, telling it to wait.  From your outline, verse Ps 62:1 says, "My soul waits in silence for God only."  But Ps 62:5 says, "My soul, wait in silence for God only.”  Again we are put into situations where all we can do is wait.  Waiting anxiously is easy and natural, but not God's ideal.  But if we want to wait peacefully, we need to remind ourselves as David did and refocus on God alone.

Now I want to take the last few minutes and talk about how to make that change in perspective.  The writer of this Psalm gives us at least six ways to help focus on God in the midst of difficult times. Paul has this to say, " Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”  We need to have a change in perspective, one that is off of what we want and what we think is best to what God wants and what is really best.

We search and search for answers.  We search for satisfying conclusions to our situations.  We desire comfort.  We no longer want to feel off-balance.  We want security and safety.  Those are the real issues we face.  Too many times we get so caught up in the whirlpool of our circumstances and our own inadequacy's that we miss the fact that God is the answer.  God alone is the answer.

MY SALVATION -- DELIVERANCE

Take a look at Ps 62:1.  It says, "My salvation comes from Him." Acts 4:12 says, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given to men by which we must be saved." And Ps 37:39  says, “The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.” 

If our waiting it is going to be peaceful,

we must first believe No. 1 that  God alone is the source of our deliverance. 

There is nothing we can do to add to or to assist God in any way.  That is why we are to wait silently before God, fully depending on Him alone.  For He alone is our deliverer.  And why do we know that is true?  Jump down to PS 62:11-12.  "You, 0 God, are strong, and you, 0 Lord, are loving."  God is able to deliver because he is strong.  And he desires to deliver you because he is loving.  There is nothing that can keep God from delivering you if you wait for Him.  Heb. 7: 25 says, "He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through him."

MY ROCK -- SECURITY

Now let's take a look at Ps 62:2, "He alone is my rock."  When we lived up in the Northwest we made several trips to the Coast.  I love the ocean.  I love to watch the waves crash on the shore.  But what is really impressive is to climb out on one of the large rocks and view the surf from there. The waves are so powerful.  And they come crashing against the rocks like a freight train.  So I have to be careful climbing up because the lower part of the rock is covered with algae and is very slippery.  But as I move higher, where the rock is dry, I can stand securely. I may get wet from the splash.  But that wave is not going to move me because that rock isn't going to move.  In fact it hardly knows the wave is there.  No matter how hard those waves crash in, I don't have to worry because I am on a solid rock. 

That is what God is for us.  A solid rock where we can stand secure.  If we would rather wait peacefully then

No. 2 we need to believe that God alone is the source of our security. 

Listen to Ps 40:2, "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." 

2 Sam 22:32-34 says, "For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.  He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights."

MY FORTRESS -- SAFETY

Now Moving down to the Second Part of Ps 62:2 we read, "He is my fortress."  A fortress is a place where the common people run to when they are under attack.  It is a place of safety.  When Haley hears a strange noise she comes running to Mommy and Daddy.  We act as her fortress, her stronghold.  When she is frightened she comes to us for safety.

            Where do you run to when you get anxious?  The story is told of a monastery in Portugal, perched high on a 3000 foot cliff and accessible only by a terrifying ride in a swinging basket.  The basket is pulled with a single rope by several strong men, perspiring under the strain of the fully loaded basket.  One American tourist who visited the site got nervous halfway up the cliff when he noticed that the rope was old and frayed.  Hoping to relieve his fear he asked, "How often do you change to rope?"  When the monk in charge replied, "Whenever it breaks!"  Now those monks may be safe in their monastery, but depending on that old rope is a whole other question.

When our anxiety level begins to rise, we can run to the Lord and he will be our fortress and we will find safety in him. 

No. 3, we must believe that God alone is where we find safety. 

We read in Prov 14:26, "He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge."  And from the Good News Bible, Ps 18:2 we read, "The Lord is my protector; he is my strong fortress.  My God is my protection, and with him I am safe.  He protects me like a shield; he defends me and keeps me safe."

MY HOPE -- FUTURE

Our next point is found in Ps 62:5, "My hope comes from him."  In 1 Thessalonians 4:13, Paul says that he doesn't want us to be uninformed and grieve like those who have no hope.  Because we do have hope.  We look forward to our future in the very presence of God where there will be no more tears, or death, or pain.  We will experience life more fully than we can even imagine.  A few weeks ago we talked about walking through the Valley of the shadow of death.  But there will be no shadow in God's presence.

Point No. 4 we must believe that God alone is the source of our future.  If we believe that, our hope for the future will remain strong.  Romans 5: 3 says, "not only so, but we also rejoice in our suffering's, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us." Listen to Heb 6:17-19  “Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.  We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.  We can wait peacefully because our future is in God's hands.”

MY HONOR -- SIGNIFICANCE

Our 5th point is found in Ps 62:7, "My salvation and my honor depend on God."  Changing our perspective depends upon whether we believe that God alone is the source of our significance.  Once there was a little old man.  His eyes blinked and his hands trembled; when he ate he clattered the silverware distressingly, missed his mouth with the spoon as often has not, and dribbled a bit of his food on the tablecloth.  Now he lived with his married son, having nowhere else to live, but his son’s wife didn't like the arrangement.  "I can't live like this," she said.  "It interferes with my right to happiness."  So she and her husband took the old man gently but firmly by the arm and led him to the corner of the kitchen.  There they set him on a stool and gave him his food in an earthenware bowl.  From then on he always ate and the corner, blinking at the table with wistful eyes.  One day his hands trembled more than usual, and the bowl fellow and broke.  "You are a pig," said the daughter-and-law, "you must eat out of a trough."  So they made him a little wooden trough from where he ate his meals.

These people have a four-year-old son of whom they were very fond.  One evening the young man noticed his boy playing intently with some bits of wood and asked what he was doing.  "I'm making a trough," he said, smiling up for approval, "to feed you and Mama out of when I get big."  The man and his wife look at each other for a while and didn't say anything.  Then they cried a little.  They then went to the corner and took the old man by the arm and led him back to the table.  They set him in a comfortable chair and gave him his food on a plate, and from then on nobody ever got mad when he clattered or spilled or broke things.

Ps 71:20-21  “Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,

you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.  You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.”  The honor we gain from our own effort will leave us waiting anxiously.  But if the honor we receive is from God we will know peace and rest.

MY REFUGE -- PROTECTION

Our last point is also found in Ps 62:7b, "He is my mighty rock, my refuge."  If we are going to wait peacefully we must believe that God alone is the source of our protection.  Ps 61:3-4 says, "For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.  I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings."

I remember being in Haiti one summer.  It was hot.  It was humid.  It really didn't matter if you took the shower because five minutes later you were soaked with sweat.  A number of weeks had gone by and we were all fatigued by the long hours of ministry mixed with the unbearable heat.  Late one afternoon a storm rolled in.  We all jumped into our bathing suits and ran outside, dancing like children and the rain.  Then a huge bolt of lightning struck about 20 feet away.  You never saw 10 people move so fast in your entire life.  We ran back inside and stayed there until the storm was over.  That house was our protection from the storm. 

God is our protection when life is stormy.  No one can protect us like He can.  We can take refuge in the shelter of his wings.

REVIEW THE SIX POINTS

And let me add just one more verse, Heb 4:16, "let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  Amen.