THE PRIORITY OF WAITING ON GOD
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: FUNDRAISER PRIZE
1. A Pastor was having a fundraiser at his church. On Sunday morning he got in the pulpit and boldly announced, “The first person who gives $1000 this morning can pick out 3 hymns.” 2. The sanctuary was quiet for a minute and then a spinster lady at the back waved her handkerchief and said, “Ok, I’ll give $1000.” The Pastor said, “Come on up here sister!” She did.
3. She handed him a check for the amount and he said, “What 3 hymns do you want?” She looked the congregation over and said, pointing, “I want him, and him, and him!”
B. THESIS
1. Tonight we’re talking about the “Priority of Waiting on God.”
2. This is a fascinating study on what “waiting” is, people who waited on God, how to wait on God and its mighty ramifications.
3. We’re going to look at many different scriptures along the way.
I. QUIET TIME OF INTIMACY where we come to know God.
A. PLACE OF ONE ON ONE
1. “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Ps. 46:10.
2. You can get a lot from God in corporate worship services, Bible studies, and seminars. But if there’s no one-on-one between you and God, then your knowledge of Him is 2nd hand, or dependent on others.
3. You REALLY only get to know God intimately when you’re alone with Him. A poor analogy of a young couple who get married. The 2 of them, alone, come to know each other as no one else knows them. They couldn’t really gain that kind of soul-joining intimacy in a group setting.
4. That’s why we need to be alone with God; to know Him and be known of by Him.
B. PLACE TO RECEIVE MINISTRY
1. MARY & MARTHA; 39 [Martha] had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Lk. 10:39-42.
2. The word “distracted” above indicates there’s something she (or us) was supposed to be paying attention to, but wasn’t. The main event in that house was Jesus Himself, not the festivities.
3. HUMOR.
a. One day, a teacher was teaching her young class the story of Jesus visiting Mary and Martha. She carefully explained how Mary and Martha had hurried to clean the house and cook a special meal.
b. Then she paused and asked, “What would you do if Jesus was going to visit your house today?”
c. One little girl quickly responded, “I’d get the Bible out of the closet and put it on the table!”
4. IMPORTANT THINGS HAPPEN AT THE FEET OF JESUS…
a. THE SICK WERE HEALED (The 10th leper fell at His feet to give thanks for his healing, Luke 17:16),
b. THE DEAD WERE RAISED (Jairus fell at His feet & got his daughter raised from the dead, Mk. 5:22),
c. THE DEMONS CRINGED AND SCREAMED! [The Syrophoenician woman’s daughter was delivered,( Mk. 7:25); The Gadarene Demoniac was found clothed and in his right mind (Luke 8:35)],
d. THE APOSTLE JOHN GOT HIS REVELATION of the End Times (Revelation 1:17),
e. EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW & EVERY TONGUE CONFESS!
f. & THE DEVIL IS UNDER HIS FEET! PRAISE GOD!
g. At the feet of Jesus is where the miracles happen, so get to the feet of Jesus!
5. What is the "one thing" that is needed? To know the person of Jesus! In John chapter 15, Jesus told us to "abide” in the Vine; that means to "wait for", "to remain in the same place."
6. For some of us, getting closer to Jesus means we must simplify our lives, to unclutter them, to carve time out of our schedules by removing some things not as important, so that we can spend quality time with Jesus.
II. TIME OF SPIRITUAL RENEWAL
A. THE RESTORATIVE POWER OF ABIDING
1. “But 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.” Isa. 40:31.
2. Isaiah tells us that waiting on God can have up to 4 types of restorative effects:
a. Your spiritual strength, which had become exhausted, can be fully recharged, restored.
b. Not only can you be back where you were before your waiting, but you can “mount up” to higher heights than before.
c. Thirdly, you’ll be able to “run and not be weary.” That means you’ll have a continuously flowing source of renewal. It sounds similar to an artesian well, which forever replenishes itself with new water.
d. Fourth, you’ll be able to keep walking in God AND NEVER FAINT! It’s an assurance that you won’t fail at the last lap. If you abide in Jesus – all the way – His presence will carry you through to victory!
B. ILLUSTRATION
1. A boy once shot an eagle. It broke the eagle’s wing and caused him to land in the family’s barnyard among the filth. The boy kept him chained until he was healed.
2. One day as the eagle heard the mating cry of an eagle above, he screamed in answer and attempted to fly upward. The boy, realizing the time had come, released him.
3. The eagle soared into the sky, and gave a cry of victory as he returned to clouds he was meant for.
4. That is a picture of the life of victory that God wants to give every Christian.
III. WAITING IS PART OF TIMING
A. DEFINED
1. Stay where one is or delay action until a particular time, until something happens; remain.
2. Remain in readiness for some purpose; "he found the train waiting at the platform."
B. WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR DIRECTION
1. Num. 9:8 Moses answered them, “Wait until I find out
what the Lord commands concerning you.”
2. One of the reasons for Moses’ great success was that he didn’t move without being sure God had given him that direction.
3. If it costs a delay in activity, then so be it. Leaders who wait on God could be accused of indecision. But the man or woman will be wise to take that risk.
C. WE MUST WAIT FOR THE PROPER TIMING
1. Ps. 106:13, “But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold.”
2. God’s plan has timing to it. We must wait for the time to arrive to embark on the next mission. Until then, we should bide our time until the time has come.
D. PROPHETIC EXPECTATION
1. Habakkuk 2:3, “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”
2. Waiting is an attitude of excitement & expectation. Our spirits/faith is in motion but our bodies aren’t yet. But we are eagerly looking for the moment when the will of God should be done.
E. AFTER WAITING, IT’S TIME FOR ACTION
Joshua 18:3, “So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you?”
Acts 22:16, “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.”
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]
