WAIT ONLY UPON GOD
Psalm 62:1-6
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: THE ARREST
1. Even if you’re a person in authority, it always pays to listen to what people have to say.
2. A police officer in a small town stopped a motorist who was speeding down Main Street.
3. "But officer." the man began, "I can explain." "Just be quiet," snapped the officer. "I'm going to let you cool your heels in jail until the chief gets back..."
4. "But officer, I just wanted to say...." "And I said to keep quiet! You're going to jail!"
5. A few hours later the officer looked in on his prisoner and said, "Lucky for you that the chief is at his daughter's wedding. He'll be in a good mood when he gets back."
6. "Don't count on it," answered the fellow in the cell. "I'm the groom."
B. TEXT
62 1 Truly my soul waits upon God: from him comes my salvation. 2 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved. 3 How long will you imagine mischief against a man? you shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall you be, and as a tottering fence. 4 They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah. 5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved.
C. THESIS
1. We’re looking tonight at what it means to wait upon God. We’re to define it in Scripture, see how David waited upon God, and how correct waiting creates positive expectations.
2. The title of tonight’s message is “Wait Only Upon God.”
I. WHAT “WAITING ON GOD” MEANS
A. DEFINED
1. Stay where one is or delay action until a particular time, until something happens, or until a person comes; stay (put), remain, stop, halt, pause.
2. Remain in readiness for some purpose; "he found the train waiting at the platform."
3. can indicate eager impatience for something. "I can't wait for tomorrow"
B. ATTITUDE IN WAITING ON GOD
1. PATIENTLY. “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry” Ps. 40:1.
2. IGNORING DISTRACTIONS. “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes” Ps. 37:7.
3. CONCENTRATION ON GOD. “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope” Ps. 130:5.
“Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the Lord our God, Until He has mercy on us” Ps. 123:2.
4. WITH LONGING. “I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning” Ps. 130:6.
C. WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?
1. WAITING FOR PRAYERS TO BE ANSWERED. “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly” Psalm 5:3.
2. WAITING FOR ENCOURAGEMENT. “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” Ps. 27:14.
3. WAITING FOR PROTECTION. “We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield” Ps. 33:20.
4. WAITING FOR GOD’S PLAN TO UNFOLD. “But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold” Ps. 106:13.
5. WAITING FOR SALVATION. “I wait for your salvation, Lord, and I follow your commands” Ps. 119:166.
6. WAITING FOR WISDOM. “Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway” Prov. 8:34.
7. WAITING FOR JUSTICE FROM GOD. “Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you” Prov. 20:22.
D. HUMOR: GARAGE SALE WAITING
1. A woman was taking her time browsing through everything at a friend's yard sale. Spotting her friend, she sparked a conversation.
2. "My husband is going to be very angry I stopped at your yard sale." Her friend replied, "I'm sure he'll understand when you tell him about all the bargains you found.”
3. "Normally, yes," the woman replied. "But he just broke his leg, and he's waiting for me to take him to the hospital to have it set."
II. HOW DAVID WAITED ON GOD
1. People who communicate by radio often prompt the other person by saying, “Come on, Talk to Me!”
2. We often make fun of people who talk to themselves, as if there’s something wrong with that. But psychologists have found it’s very healthy to do so and that it helps you focus on the problems at hand.
3. David commonly talked to himself – to his soul. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? Hope thou in God!”
4. Here David addresses his soul saying; "My soul, wait only upon God." He did this to remind himself of his priority to:
A. WAIT ON GOD INSTEAD OF SELF-EFFORT
1. Think how many men and women have train-wrecked their lives by choosing to ignore God. Millions of people have done great things, only to die unhappy, because they didn’t first seek God and his righteousness.
2. Sir Walter Scott is an example. He was a good man and I believe, a Christian. He had an incredibly gifted mind, but he made the mistake of using it only for worldly aims. He gained fame but died a disappointed and unsuccessful man.
3. Are you living for business? You’ll be disappointed, then. Are you living to gain respectability? That’s a poor aim! You’ll be disappointed. Make God your one object in life, and all these things shall be added to you, "Godliness with contentment is great gain."
4. Many people worry about the future, unsure if they’ll be taken care of, financially. But Jesus says, "Behold the fowls of the air, they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them."
5. So don’t say, "What shall we eat or what shall we drink?” Say, “Even if famine comes, I won’t starve; even if the brook dries up, God will open the windows of heaven and give me drink. Jehovah will provide.”
B. GOD AS OUR ADVISOR/ GUIDE
1. Some laugh at the idea that we should look to God for direction. "God can’t be bothered with such mundane things as guiding our petty affairs."
2. One lady said, “I only take the big things to God!” The Pastor said, “Lady, anything YOU take to God is small!”
3. My God is big enough that He knows the number of hairs on your head; He calls each of the trillions of stars by its own name. He knows if even one sparrow falls to the ground. I think he can handle anything He wants to!
4. Dare to let God be your compass; let Him steer your ship through the dark storms of life; put the tiller into His Almighty hand and you’ll see how many a rocky shoals, sandbars, or other shipwrecks He’ll save you from!
5. Before you ask God for advice, ask yourself, "Have I already made up my mind?" In most cases we’ll find we have.
6. We make up our mind and then pray, "Lord, show me what I ought to do." We listen only for the answer we want to hear and then we do as we planned. Then if it doesn’t work out, we blame God for the failure!
7. We need to surrender our will if we want God’s true course.
C. FOR PROTECTION IN TIMES OF DANGER
1. At the siege of Copenhagen, under Lord Nelson (April, 1801), the British military blasted the city with guns, mortars and rockets.
2. Almost the entire city caught fire and burned. One officer walked among the ruins and found a solitary house, unharmed. All around it was a burnt mass, it alone untouched by the fire.
3. 'Whose house is this?' he asked. “It belongs to a Quaker. He wouldn’t fight nor leave his house, but remained in prayer with his family during the whole bombardment.”
4. “Surely,” he thought, “God has been a shield, a wall of fire round about them, a very present help in time of need."
5. Is someone gossiping about you? Tell your troubles into the ears of God. "Wait only upon God." If you’re reviled and falsely charged, never answer—leave it alone.
6. "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord." Practice non-resistance in words, as well as in deeds. Don’t wade in and fight with people. The more you stir the pot, the worse it’ll stink.” Proverbs says, “Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down” Prov. 26:20.
7. Christians shouldn’t fear what lost people fear; it dishonors our faith in Christ to be fearful & panicked. There’s no finer exhibition of faith than the confidence of a Christian in the hour of their trouble.
III. DAVID’S & OUR EXPECTATION FROM GOD
A. RICHES DON’T SATISFY
1. I’ve heard an old person’s quote, “Money isn’t everything, but it sure keeps the kids coming around.”
2. Why do they keep hanging around? Well, first because they love you. But there’s also the expectation that someday there may be some inheritance coming.
3. David says, "My soul, wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from him."
4. If you put your trust in your earthly business, it may fail. Your business may suffer a reversal; the economy may falter. You may find yourself a beggar in the street, regardless of how much you have.
5. Instead, expect to draw from the bank of faith until you die. I’d rather have God for my banker than any man alive.
6. A king went into a stable and heard a stable boy singing. He said, “John, what do you get for your work?" "Sir, I get my clothes and my food." "That’s all I get too," said the King! And that’s all anybody gets!
7. Dear friends, if we are not rich, contentment can make us so.
B. WE HAVE BETTER EXPECTATIONS
1. But we have better expectations than that. We’ll die someday soon & God will send a troop of angels to escort to heaven, like a presidential motorcade!
2. We won’t be riding in a Ford, Lincoln, or even a Mercedes; God’s limousine is going to be better than any potentate of history has ridden in.
3. We’ll be escorted up the eternal hills, in majesty, to the bright gates of pearl which will swing wide open and we’ll hear God’s voice say, "Come in, you blessed of the Lord! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from before the foundations of the world!"
4. Our expectations are eternal bodies wrapped in glory, wreaths of victory, harps of gold, and crowns of victory whose glory fades not away!
5. For us this poor vessel of clay and the poor riches of this world aren’t worthy to be compared with the glory we shall have. We’ll enjoy the splendor and happiness of God forever.
6. Now, "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.”
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. A man was in a hurry to catch an airplane. He ran, huffing and puffing, down toward his gate. He passed a guy who was dressed in a pilot’s uniform.
2. The pilot said to the breathless man, “Where are you going in such a hurry?” “Oh,” said the man, “I am late for my plane. I don’t want to miss my plane.”
3. He proceeded to tell the pilot what flight he was hurrying to. The pilot said, “Don’t be in a hurry. I’m the pilot of that plane.”
4. If our heavenly Pilot is not stressed, we shouldn’t be either. We get stressed out about many things unnecessarily. Wait on God and trust, that if He’s taking His time, you can too!
B. THE CALL
1. How many of you are going through a situation so that you need comfort and aid from God? Often we’re put in a position that we can do nothing but wait on God.
2. That’s actually what we should have been doing anyway.
3. Let’s surrender our problems and let God help us with them. Stand with me, please! [Salvation call]
[This message has some of C.H. Spurgeon’s on the same txt]
