Wait Training Part 1
Psalms 27 A Psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.
7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.
9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.
11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
PRAY God lead you through this sermon.
Title Of Message – Waiting for God
How are you with patience? Is patience difficult for you? We must learn the art of patience if we truly want to enjoy life. It seems that there is always something we are waiting for:
Is your prayer Lord I need patience and I need them now?
We wait on traffic and we wait in lines at stores, restaurants, and even to go to the restroom.
We wait to hear about a job.
We wait while an automated voice goes through 1,000 options on the phone.
We wait to complete school then we wait to retire.
We wait to grow up.
We wait for a decision to be made.
Wait…wait…wait!
We cannot escape the web of waiting!
Because of this, Patience is an essential quality of a happy life.
Patience is a virtue,
Possess it if you can.
Found seldom in a woman,
Never in a man.
Every day presents plenty of opportunities for this.
Many of can relate with the great New England preacher Phillips Brooks. He was noted for his poise and quiet manner. At times, however, even he suffered moments of frustration and irritability. One day a friend saw him feverishly pacing the floor like a caged lion. “What’s the trouble, Mr. Brooks?” he asked. “The trouble is that I’m in a hurry, but God isn’t!”
The Bible speaks often about the importance of waiting on God:
Psalms 25:5 – Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
Psalms 37:7 – Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
9 – For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
Psalms 40:1 – I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
Psalms 62:1 – Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.
Psalms 123:2 – Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.
Psalms 130:5 – I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
Isaiah 40:31 – But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
or Ps 55:6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.
Micah 7:7 – Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
2 Thessalonians 3:5 – And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.
What does it mean to wait on God?
G. Campbell Morgan
“Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means
First, be active under command;
Second, be ready for any new command that may come;
Third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.
The Hebrew word translated “waiting” . . . has likeness with a word that means “to entrench.” God works for him that entrenches himself in Him. The idea of waiting for God here is that of digging ourselves in to God.
Waiting for God, then, means power to do nothing save under command. This is not lack of power to do anything.
Waiting for God needs strength rather than weakness. It is the power to do nothing. It is the strength that holds strength in check. It is the strength that prevents the blundering activity which is entirely false and will make the true activity impossible when the definite command comes.
Waiting is far more difficult than working. . .. Waiting requires strength. It demands absolute surrender of the life to God, the confession that we are at the end of our own understanding of things, the confession that we really do not see our way and do not know the way. The waiting that says: “Until God shall speak, we dare not move and will not move, we will not be seduced from our resolution to wait”; requires strength” (The Westminster Pulpit, vol. ix, pp. 318-323).
There are times when the only hope we have, the only solution to our situation, the only cure for our condition…is to wait on God.
In Psalm 27, David was facing a situation that we can identify with:
I. His Desperation Condition
Fear
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
- Foes
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.
11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
- Fight
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
- Failure
9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
- Forsaken
10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.
[When my father and my mother forsake me] Or, more literally, “For my father and my mother have forsaken me; but the Lord hath gathered me up.” My parents were my protectors for a time; but the Lord has been my Protector always. There is no time in which I do not fall under his merciful regards.
- False Statements
12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
- Faint 13 I had fainted…
13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
We find here a man at the end of his rope…he is give out and almost ready to give up.
