When the Wait is Painful

Opening

Write down the picture that comes to your mind when you think of a waiting season?

Do you picture sleeping beauty waiting on prince charming?

Do you picture a waiting room at a hospital?

Do you picture all of 2020 when you were waiting at home for things to get “back to normal”?

Maybe you picture a season of constantly waiting for a positive pregnancy test.

Other opening question option- (When you were waiting on quarantine to end, what did you do?)

Two ways we wait

-sleep through it (escape)

-treat yo self (reward ourselves for waiting) - when we reward ourselves that is all the reward we get.

https://youtu.be/59lVs4dD4eM

both are ways of numbing and lulling ourselves to sleep

-I choose other things to relax or to treat myself all the time. Food, netflix, alcohol, starbucks, even family outings or me time can be bad if i run to them for comfort over Jesus.

1 John 2:15-16

1 John 2:15–16 CSB

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world.

SO what are we supposed to do in the wait?

Bible Reading

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

O my God, in you I trust;

let me not be put to shame;

let not my enemies exult over me.

Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;

they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;

teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth and teach me,

for you are the God of my salvation;

for you I wait all the day long.

Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast

love, for they have been from of old.

Psalm 25:1-5

1. I lift up my soul.

2. I will not run from the Lord.

· Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband, so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel, declares the Lord.’” Jeremiah 3:20

3. Walk the paths of the Lord

I will not be put to shame.