Wait Until - Wait For The Lord
Notes
Transcript
I am so glad to be in the service one more time. I thank God that He has blessed me, is blessing me, and will bless me. I may not have all that I want to have, but I thank God I have all that He wants me to have. I may not be where I want to be, but I thank God I am not where I used to be. I may not be who others say that I ought to be, but I thank God I am who He says I am. Can I get at least seven people to give God praise that He allowed you to be in the service one more time.
Just another day, that the Lord has kept me. Just another day, that the Lord, He has kept me, He has kept me, from all evil, kept me with mind stayed on Jesus. Just another day, that the Lord, He has kept me ya’ll; kept me with my mind, stayed on Jesus.
Psalm 130:5 “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.” - Wait For The Lord!
Without knowledge and conviction that God is who He says He is and can do what He says He can do, we won’t wait for the Lord. And if we do try to wait it is with a great anxiety and causes us to take matters into our own hands.
Based on historical performance, we wait for the news broadcast at ten o’clock because we believe the station will be operating. We have seen the sun rise every morning, so we know since it has never failed even once, it will rise again. We know, therefore, we can count on it based on its past performance.
Now we know that past performances of some has not been good. That would be a reason not to want to wait. When you have been oppressed for so long, you can’t wait. When you have been denied equality and equity after doing all you were supposed to do, you can’t wait. When there are those that are hurting on our streets, and not all by choice, but those who have the power to help won’t, you can’t wait. When all manner of sin is parading itself trying to infest the church, you can’t wait. I say this to suggest that there are times when past performances has failed you. Time and time again, as minorities, black and brown citizens, we are not listened to. The words or Dr. King ring in my ear as he responded to eight white clergymen that pressed him not to take street-action concerning the injustices he was called to fight but use the courts. He says “For years now I have heard the word ‘Wait!’ … This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never.’” You can’t keep talking about equality and equity but never get up and do anything about it. We have come a long way since then and the election system has changed where these words still ring true just in a different manner. And as distant as your vote may seem, you still make a difference. So, get up, get out, and go Vote today, tomorrow, for sure Tuesday. You can make sure they hear you as you go out to vote. Your vote matters people. All 22+ thousand of us in Alaska, 15+ thousand in Anchorage, should be running to the polls. Here’s how you do it. Pray for God’s guidance and Wait For The Lord to speak. While you are waiting on God to speak, do your research, talk to reputable people, make the decision, pray to God it’s the right decision, go vote. You can’t wait. You can’t keep saying it’s not my problem. That my vote don’t matter. Be led by God and take care of your civic duty.
And, I do not believe a Child of God chooses to wait or not to wait on their own. They are led by the One who has come through for them in the past. Who has shown Himself trustworthy time and time again.
Thus, the emphasis of the Bible is that our waiting is a waiting on and waiting for the Lord. Many biblical passages that speak of waiting have the Lord as the object.
The Psalmist Waits for the Lord because he knows the Lord is more dependable than the sun rising. Waiting For The Lord means knowing, trusting, and believing in Him, His person, His character, His promises.
Waiting isn’t new. We see back in the Old Testament countless stories of people of God waiting on Him. Sometimes the season of waiting was brought on by sin and sometimes God had a plan for the season of waiting.
Noah was called to build a massive ark which took an insane amount of time, but then had to wait for the flood waters to come (Genesis 7). Abraham was promised that a multitude of people would call him father, but he had to wait for his son Isaac to be born (Genesis 21). Joseph had to wait for redemption, while being sold into slavery and imprisoned (Genesis 37). Israel waited over 400 years before being freed from slavery in Egypt (Genesis 15:13). Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because of disobedience before reaching the Promised Land (Numbers 13). No prophet spoke for 400 years before John the Baptist came on the scene (Matthew 3:1). The Jews waited about 4000 years before Christ came. I lift this to say, that waiting is associated with how God works out His agenda.
In Psalm 130:5-7 there are three Hebrew words that can be translated “wait,” and in these three verses the words that mean “wait” occur six times. It’s worth highlighting.
Verse 5a: “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits” The Hebrew word qâwâ is used twice; await, hope for.
Verse 5b: “In his word I hope/wait.” The Hebrew word here is yâḥal; cause to hope.
Verse 6: “Watchmen wait” is šâmar – again used twice: to keep, watch, guard.
Verse 7a: Let Israel “hope/wait” in the Lord. – again yâḥal; cause to hope.
What does all this mean. It means we Wait For The Lord with an attitude of expectation or of hope and with a posture that reflects an attitude of trust. Psalm 130:5 shows that the attitude and posture of waiting involves one’s whole being eagerly longing – expectantly and hopefully. It involves tarrying and trust.
Therefore, just like we wait with expectancy for the news to come on or the sun to rise; The ability to wait for the Lord originates from a confident and focused trust in God’s historical performance. Confident and focused in His wisdom; Confident and focused in His love, Confident and focused in His timing, Confident and focused in His understanding of our situation. Confident and focused in God’s principles, promises, purposes, and power.
The text says, “His word I will hope.” He will cause us to hope. Why? Because His word will never fail.
Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”
If you got His Word, you can wait all day long.
Wait is the power to escape the force of the temptation - 1 Cor. 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
Wait is the authority to resist the enemy - James 4:7 “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
Wait is the certainty of daily new mercies – Lamentations 3:22-23 “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”
Wait is the faith to see the goodness of God – Psalm 27:13 “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.
Wait is the capacity to rest in the Lord - Psalm 37:7 “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him…”
Wait is the faith to receive fresh strength - Isaiah 40:31 “...those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”
Wait is the confidence that God’s will is best – Luke 22:42 “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
Finally, the Psalmist’s suggests to us then that the waiting is in the who and what of the Lord!
Who is the Lord?
David said He is my fortress, my strong tower, shield and buckler.
Solomon said He is the rose of Sharon and the Lilly of the valley.
Isaiah said He is wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace.
Jeremiah said He’s fire shut up in my bones.
Ezekiel said He’s a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
John the Baptist said He is the lamb that taketh away the sins of the world.
Peter said He’s Christ the son of the living God.
What has the Lord done? He has regulated your mind; He has dried your flowing tears; He has opened doors; He has calmed rattled nerves; He has given you cheer in your chaos; He has comforted you in calamity; He has provided for your needs; He is holding you together, He is elevating you, He is loving you, He is helping you, He is healing you, He is molding you, He is making things emerge out of you with manifold joy.
Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!”