I Will Wait
Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV) Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Lamentations 3:19-26 (NIV) I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
What is Hope?
"Everything that is done in the world is done by hope." - Martin Luther
Cultural Hope is merely an optimistic desire that something will be fulfilled
This hope is not a guaranteed hope because it is subject to changeable people and circumstances.
Hope (Webster)– Desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment…to desire with expectation of obtainment…to expect with confidence.
Biblical Hope is an optimistic assurance that something will be fulfilled
This hope is a guaranteed hope not subject to change, but rather anchored in our unchangeable God and His promises. Favorable and confident expectation relating to the future
(Psalm 119:81 NIV) “My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word.”
Romans 5:3-5 NLT - We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
(Psalm 71:14) “But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.”
“The idea of waiting for something makes it more exciting - Andy Warhol
Are You…….
Disoriented.
(Job 17:13) “Where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me?”
Drifting.
(Isaiah 53:6) “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.”
Despair.
(2 Corinthians 1:8) “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.”
The Feelings
Deceived, Disliked, Dejected, Downcast, Deprived, Disqualified, Degraded, Detached, Doomed, Damned, Drained, Debilitated, Disinterested, Defeated, Disgusted, Disconnected, Displaced, Distraught, Discouraged, Doubt, Disappointment
(Job 30:26 NIV) “Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness.”
Hope is a Wonderful gift from God, a source of strength & courage in the face of life’s harshest trials. It’s not an option, it’s essential to our faith.
The Old Fisherman’s Letter
When we are trapped in a tunnel of misery, hope points to the light at the end.
When we are overworked & exhausted, hope gives us fresh energy
When we are discouraged, hope lifts our spirits
When we are tempted to quit, hope keeps us going
When we lose our way & confusion blurs the destination, hope dulls the edge of panic
When we struggle with a crippling disease or a lingering illness, hope helps us perservere beyond the pain.
When we fear the worst, hope brings reminders that God is still in control
When we must endure the consequences of bad decisions, hope fuels our recovery
When we find ourselves unemployed, hope tells us we still have a future
When we are forced to sit back & wait, hope gives us the patience to trust
When we feel rejected & abandoned, hope reminds us we’re not alone, we’ll make it
When we say our final farewell to someone we love, hope in the life beyond gets us through our grief.
When life hurts & dreams fade, nothing helps like hope.
Psalm 25:5 NIV - Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Have you or Are you feeling Hopeless?
"There are no hopeless situations; there are only people who have grown hopeless about them."
(Job 17:13 NIV) “Where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me?”
When zealous religious leaders sought to kill the apostle paul - he appealed to Caesar and soon found himself a prisoner on a ship headed to Rome. A treacherous storm arose, and eventually all on board lost hope. They all believed they would die. It was hopeless - Paul admitted...
Acts 27:20 NIV When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.
Have you felt like your life or circumstance is shipwrecked?
I Timothy 1:19 NIV - holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith.
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain”
When you are Waiting....Be assured with Hope that....
1. God is there.
•(Psalm 139:7-8) “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I
flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if
I make my bed in the depths, you are there.”
•(Hebrews 13:5) “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
•(Hebrews 4:13 LB) “He knows about everyone, everywhere.
Everything about us is bare and wide open to the all-seeing eyes of
our living God; nothing can be hidden from Him...”
2. God is never late.
•(Acts 16:25-26) “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and
singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to
them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the
foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors
flew open, and everybodyʼs chains came loose.”
3. God knows best.
•(Hebrews 11:39-40) “These were all commended for their faith, yet
none of them received what had been promised. God had planned
something better…”
•(Isaiah 55:8-9 LB) “This plan of mine is not what you would work
out, neither are my thoughts the same as yours! For just as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than
yours, and my thoughts than yours.”
4. God cares & will bring me through
•(James 5:11 Message) “Youʼve heard, of course, of Jobʼs staying
power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the
end. That's because God cares, cares right down to the last detail.”
•(2 Timothy 4:18) “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack
and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory
for ever and ever. Amen.”
“It is impossible for that man to despair who remembers that his Helper is omnipotent.”
Hope is found in a relationship with God.
Romans 15:13 NLT - I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 62:5-7 NIV - Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.My salvation and my honor depend on God[a]; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
The Solid Rock Hymn
My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus' blood and righteousness., I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly trust in Jesus' Name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil.
His oath, His covenant, His blood, Support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my Hope and Stay.
When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh may I then in Him be found. Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne.
