In The Waiting

God's Plan • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

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Last time I spoke we were talking about a trust fall. How God is asking us to trust him, to take a step in a direction that is scary but to do it anyway out of Trust that He is doing something good.

I want to take this idea of a trust fall a little further.

What do we do in the in-between time?

Picture it like this,

You were standing on the edge of a cliff, and as you look out all you see is this cloudy mist. It’s in front and it’s below. So you have no idea what’s at the bottom of this cliff.

God is beckoning you to take a step off this cliff and you waffle back and fourth and then finally you decide that God is worth trusting so you take the step.

Done deal right? you took the step and now God’s going to do whatever He was going to do… Wrong…

If you’ve ever been cliff jumping, you’ll know when you jump off a cliff, the higher up you go, the more time there is between you jumping off the top and you hitting the water. Now the cliff God usually asks us to fall off is one that is above the clouds and you can’t see the bottom.

So we’ve trust fallen for God… Now we’re falling, knowing that God has a plan in all this but we just can’t see it yet but it’s coming.

That’s a pretty long fall… and when you’re falling and you can’t see the bottom, there’s a tendency to get scared and freak out about what’s coming… lot’s of time to second guess your decision to step off the cliff.

That’s when our faith in God comes in.

Taking the step was the easy part. Honestly… in the moment it feels like the hardest thing to do, but in reality it’s easy compared to the falling. In the falling there’s waiting. During that time we want to move and do something but we can’t, so our minds take over.

What if this… If I had done this differently then this… what if I heard God wrong!?… our mind’s start desperately trying to make sense of why we did what we did because when we’re really following God… the reasons behind what we are doing don’t usually make a lot of sense.

Part of the waiting… the process of the falling after the trust fall… is actually getting to the place where we stop trying to grasp what it was we said we were giving to God.

take back control of the thing we just gave to Him, The trust fall we just initiated.

Today we’re going to talk about what happens in between taking that step of trust… and the end result that God is working towards.

In the waiting, we want to move and do something… But that is us trying to take back control of the thing we just gave to Him, The trust fall we just initiated.

Part of the waiting… the process of the falling after the trust fall… is actually getting to the place where we stop trying to grasp what it was we said we were giving to God.

The beautiful thing is that as we’re waiting for the thing God promised or to see the outcome of our trust… God’s also waiting on us. This is what I want to focus on today. says…

Isaiah 30:18 ESV

18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

Isaiah

There are many places in the bible where we are told to wait for God but this one tells us that God is waiting for us.

Part of the waiting… the process of the falling after the trust fall… is actually getting to the place where we stop trying to grasp what it was we said we were giving to God.

So what is God waiting for? aren’t we the one’s that are waiting for God to do something??? We were the one’s to take the trust fall… we’re the one’s with something to loose here… shouldn’t we be waiting for God?

See this is a classic misconception about our relationship with God

God is always doing something… We’re the one’s who stop doing and when we stop, God waits for us to start again. The thing that we always seem to stop doing or at least neglect, is radically seeking Him.

If we were to say that radically seeking God meant that we sought His presence in the normalcy of life, our struggles, the sad times we experience, as well as the things that cause us joy, excitement, and peace…

how many of us could say without a shadow of a doubt that we are radically seeking God?

A little while ago we watched a sermon that done by Michael Todd and he asked a question...

What are the things in your life that you are devoted to?

How about your cell phone???

The news?

Your weekly TV series?

Your sports team? Both the one you play on or the one you watch on TV?

Starbucks?

Mcdonalds?

You name it! If it has self gratification in the title I’d be willing to bet that each of us has been to that thing or something like it at one point in our lives.

Now let me ask you this question...

Are you Devoted to God? I mean… every one of us would probably say yes to that question but are we really?

When we’re tired, do we turn to God to help us? Probably not right away… most likely we’ll grab the first caffeine filled drink we think of.

When we’re sad, do we turn to God to comfort us? Once again, probably not right away… That job falls to our closest friends or your spouse right?

When we’re frustrated at something we’re trying to fix or do, Is God the one we turn to for guidance or help? Not usually first right? probably more often then not it’s either a grunt of frustration and keep going or we gripe about it to the first sympathetic ear we find

God is waiting… waiting for us to slow down

I don’t think that most of us are as devoted to God as we think we are… God is still waiting to be first for most of us…

Hear me on this… I’m not saying that we never turn to God… In fact I think we do, but more often than not, it’s not until we’ve tried and failed ourselves, which Illustrates this idea quite well… God is waiting for us to turn to Him

Isaiah 30:19 ESV

19 For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you.

Isaiah 30:

The definition of Devotion according to the Merriam Webster dictionary is … “the fact or state of being ardently dedicated or loyal.”

As a believers, we signed up for this… in fact, if you’re honest with yourself you desperately want this and every time you get to a space of vulnerability you realize just how much you want this.

A relationship with God where you speak then He speaks and you speak back

A relationship with God where you exclaim in excitement the joy something brings you and you can almost feel the most genuine smile you’ve ever seen displayed on God’s face.

A relationship with God where when you feel sad and broken you turn into the embrace that you know is there at all times and does more for you than any hug.

A relationship with God where you tell Him of the things you have accomplished for Him because you want so badly to make Him proud and He says… well done, good and faithful servant.

A relationship with God, the prototypical Father figure, that offers the truest of friendships, the deepest of romances, and the greatest protector you’ve ever known.

When God asks, we don’t know His reasoning all the time but

I’ve been realizing that as much as God want’s to have this beautiful, intimate relationship with me that is filled with love and trust… I want it too! But the problem is that I get so focused on waiting for God to do something that I forget that I want that.

Then I stop doing the things that draw me closer to God.

If there is one thing that you take away from this message today it’s this...

After you take that step of trusting God… You’ve commited to that… Now it’s time to work on your relationship with God.

I don’t mean read your bible more. I don’t mean bring more prayer requests to God. I mean work on your relationship with God the same way you would with someone who is here on earth whom you might want to work on a relationship with.

When you read your bible, talk to God about it! When you pray, let Him speak! If you are feeling thankful, happy, excited, sad, mad, jealous, angry… Tell Him about it!! He want’s to know from your lips exactly what it is! That’s all He wants.

The beautiful thing is that the more you talk to God, the more you include Him in the boring everyday things, the stressful things, the fun things… The more you will hear Him speak and feel His presence

Isaiah 30:18–20 ESV

18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. 19 For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. 20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher.

Isaiah 30:18

In the waiting after the trust fall, God waits patiently, eagerly, for us to turn to Him… to cry out to Him… This passage, He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as He hears it, He answers you!

wow… just wow...

Just take a moment and look at the picture that I’m seeing...

God says, hey… I need you to trust me and just let go, take a step of faith… you say I don’t understand, and this is scary… but okay God, I’ll trust you… Then after you take that step you wait… and wait… all the while God is waiting on you… My son… My daughter… just come and be with me… Bring your sorrow, bring your shame, bring your excitement… I will be with you the moment you call to me!

So often in North America we have a sunday service that is all talk… which is fine most of the time… there’s great teaching to be had. But I’m a youth pastor and that just doesn’t sit right with me…

Close your eyes...

This is the time we read our bible

Do you want a relationship with The Lord God Almighty who loves you and Knows the plans He has for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future?

Do you want that?

Say this, out loud or in your head…

Father God, I want a relationship with you. I want the life I live from this point on, to reflect who you are. I want to love you more and know you more, and I desire to hear your voice every day.

Now… Keep your eyes closed

How many of you are tired of your life running your relationship with God?

How many of you are frustrated with the fact that no matter how hard you try, reading your bible consistently and increasingly every week just doesn’t seem to happen?

Are you done living a life that to the random person on the street looks no different than the lives of those people who don’t have a personal relationship with God?

Do you want to hear His voice? Do you want to see miracles? Do you want to follow Him wherever He may lead you?

It’s about to get real in here because I think God is sending us a little bit of a wake up call and He wants us to hear Him

Take those thoughts captive and obedient to Christ because it’s all nonsense… the Devil came to steal, kill, and destroy and he wants to see you try and fail

If you trust God, if you’ve taken that trust fall, why not trust his words…

Luke 9:1 ESV

1 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,

He gave them power and authority over All demons and to cure diseases...

now rebuke those thoughts that are in your head that are coming against the hope in your heart that you can have a greater personal relationship with God and you will succeed.

One final question, What is stuck in your life… the thing or things that are so firmly planted in the soil of your life that you can’t reach God?

Is it an attitude? Is it an idol? Is it fear? Is it the need to have control? Is it your own plans for your life and future?

Let me tell you! Satan does not want that thing to move. he does not want your relationship with God to move past where it currently is, not tomorrow, not now, not ever… I can guarantee that right now He is introducing every thought he can to try and tell you that you can’t have this, that you’ve tried before and it just doesn’t work, that miracles don’t happen any more, that God won’t speak to you all the time… only sometimes.

Take those thoughts captive and obedient to Christ because it’s all nonsense… the Devil came to steal, kill, and destroy and he wants to see you try and fail…

If you trust God even a little bit, if you’ve taken that trust fall, trust his words…

Luke 9:1 ESV

1 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,

He gave them power and authority over All demons and to cure diseases...

now rebuke those thoughts that are in your head that are coming against the hope in your heart that you can have a greater personal relationship with God and you will succeed.

You are a child of God, you have been given authority, you are loved beyond what anyone deserves, and you have been given an identity in Christ that is more than flesh and bone… You are more than conquerors through Him who loves you! rom 8:37

That thing that Satan doesn’t want to move… Because you have been given authority… because we are more than conquerors through Christ… Surrender those things to God.

The whole point of the trust fall is that we can’t do anything when we’re falling through the air except lean on God. We can’t do anything but put our faith in him.

Once you take that step you can try as hard as you can to move, to grab something, to shift your position ever so slightly… but you’re falling through air… YOU, can’t… but GOD, can.

Isaiah 30:18–19 ESV

Isaiah 30:19 ESV

19 For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you.

Isaiah 30:

wow… just wow...

Just take a moment and look at the picture that I’m seeing...

Sometimes God might show you a small piece of the picture that is to come… and then ask you to take a step in a direction that seems to be counter intuitive to the picture He has shown you, and because of this, all of a sudden everything that you thought made sense makes no sense.

But there’s a beautiful thing that we can learn with this…

When we have less of a reason for something, then it’s more of a reason for it to be God’s reason.

But here’s a beautiful thing…

Sometim

When God asks of you something that doesn’t make sense… You gotta realize that He see’s something you don’t. He knows what’s coming, you don’t. And because of that knowledge we can trust Him.

I know that sounds convoluted, but think of it this way… When God asks of you something that doesn’t make sense… You gotta realize that He see’s something you don’t. He knows what’s coming, you don’t.

If you’re in a place right now where you’ve taken a step of trust in God and you’re waiting… You’ve said God I trust you and now you’re waiting for Him to do something…

Stop waiting and do something.

Start building a relationship

Start leaning into God

And when I say, start doing this… Don’t do it alone because you will fail. You’ve fallen off that cliff and you’re in the air.

Write this down,

Step one… Trust

Step two… Ask God for help

Step three… Get some accountability

Step four… Pray and listen

Listen…

Step five… Keep living

Story of a guy walking with God… going to dinner with Him… etc…

how many of us could say without a shadow of a doubt that we are radically seeking God?

Honestly they fit perfectly together.

When we’re told to wait for something we have to have patience… but also, if we don’t have faith that what we have been told to wait for is ever going to happen, how could we be patient about it?

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