HAS YOUR FLIGHT BEEN DELAYED?
Psalm 4:1 “Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.”
INTRO.- ILL.- Thirteen ministers were on a flight to New York. When they came into a large storm, they told the stewardess to tell the pilot that everything would be okay because thirteen ministers were on board. Later the stewardess returned from cockpit. “What did the pilot say?” one preacher asked. “He said he was glad to have 13 ministers on board but he would rather have four good engines.”
The moral of that story is: PREACHERS CAN’T DO EVERYTHING! We can do some things, however. AND I AM HERE TO HELP. And I want to help you. I can at least listen to you as you talk about your problem. I can sympathize with you, because I have not been without problems in my life. And I can pray with you, because banding together in prayer helps. Please call me.
Ephesians 6:18 “Always keep on praying for all the saints.”
James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins (weaknesses, failures, problems) to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
We need to support one another in prayer. PLEASE LET ME DO THAT FOR YOU!
ILL.- A certain airliner flew into a violent storm and was soon swaying and bumping around all over the place. One very nervous lady happened to be sitting next to a preacher and turned to him for comfort. “Can’t you do something?” she demanded.
He replied, “I’m sorry ma’am, I’M IN SALES, NOT MANAGEMENT.” That’s me. I don’t make the rules, I just try to sell the product. I don’t perform miracles, but I point people to the One who can.
ILL.- After a long delay at the gate while waiting to depart, the Captain finally came on the PA system and announced, “I’m sorry for the delay, but the machine that smashes your baggage and pulls the handles off is broken, so the ground crew is having to do it by hand.”
Have you ever had anything like that happen to you? If nothing else, people who fly a lot have had their baggage lost. And those who fly frequently have had to face many delays at the airport.
Brethren, has your flight ever been delayed? It happens all the time, and especially this last year.
ILL.- By Robert Hager NBC NEWS WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 — Last year’s total flight delays — more than 450,000 — are an all-time record, the Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday. Last year’s total is 20 percent higher than 1999.
Brethren, I’m sure that having a flight delay can definitely be annoying, aggravating and whatever else you want to call it. But there is another kind of delay that bothers most all of us. And that is a delay in seeing things change in our lives for the better.
Psalm 4:1 “Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.”
Psalm 5:1 “Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.”
It sounds as though the Psalmist was experiencing a “flight delay.” He was wanting God to change or improve the situation of his life and he felt as though God was delaying His answer and His help. HAVE YOU EVER FELT THAT WAY? Of course, you have. Who hasn’t?
ILL.- A little six-year-old girl was playing with her infant brother after coming home from Sunday School. She asked her mother, “When will he start talking?
Her mother said, “Babies don’t talk until they are two or three years old.” Her little girl said, “Oh yes, they do. They did in the Bible!” Her mother asked, “Who did?”
The little girl said, “Well, Job, for one. THE SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER SAID THIS MORNING THAT HE CURSED THE DAY HE WAS BORN.”
Job really didn’t start cursing the day he was born. But Job 3:1 says that “he cursed the day of his birth.”
Some people may curse the fact they were born because of all the bad things that happen to them in life. Or they may despise some of the things that happen to them in life. And they wonder, “WHEN IS THIS SITUATION GOING TO CHANGE OR GET BETTER?”
Their flight has been delayed and they’re not happy about it. They are quite aggravated, wanting things to change. IS THAT HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT SOME THINGS? HAS YOUR FLIGHT BEEN DELAYED?
ILL.- Little Ben decided to write God a letter about certain things he didn’t like about his life. He wrote, “Dear God, I’ve been a good boy...” Suddenly, he stopped writing and decided on a different approach.
He went into the bathroom, grabbed a towel and went into the living room. Then he went to the fireplace mantle, reached up and took down a statue of the mother of Jesus which he had eyed many times.
He placed the statue in the towel and wrapped her up carefully. Then he went back and started to write God another letter. He wrote, “DEAR GOD, IF YOU EVER WANT TO SEE YOUR MOTHER AGAIN....”
Little Ben wanted God to act, to do something about his life and RIGHT NOW! However, threatening God or bargaining with God will never cause Him to act on our behalf.
HAS YOUR FLIGHT BEEN DELAYED? Are you there things that you would like to see change for the better?
PROP.- If so, there are a couple of approaches to stop the delayal and get some action.
1- We must go to the right source
2- We must use the right solution
I. WE MUST GO TO THE RIGHT SOURCE
ILL.- A man went for medical advice because his eyes bugged out and he had ringing in his ears. A doctor told him that he needed to have his tonsils removed. He did, but there was no improvement in his condition.
He went to another doctor who suggested that he have all his teeth pulled. He did that too, but still no improvement in his condition. A third doctor told him bluntly, “You’ve got six months to live.”
Since the man figured he had only a short time to live he decided to treat himself to some new clothes and go out on the town, make a big time of it. Eat, drink and be merry.
He even decided to have his shirts tailor-made. The tailor began to measure him, “Hmmm, let’s see, 34
sleeve, 16 collar.”
“Fifteen collar,” the man said. “No, I’m sorry, but you’re a sixteen collar.” The man insisted, “But I’ve always worn a 15 collar!” The tailor replied, “I’m warning you. IF YOU KEEP ON WEARING A 15 INCH COLLAR YOUR EYES WILL BUG OUT AND YOU’LL HAVE RINGING IN THE EARS.”
It always pays to go to the right source for help when you’re having trouble. That man went to a doctor when he should have went to his tailor. HE COULD HAVE SAVED HIMSELF A LOT OF EXPENSE AND TROUBLE, including his tonsils and teeth!
Where do you go for help when your back is against the wall? When you’re faced with some serious problems that you can’t handle alone?
I Samuel 28:4-5 “The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all the Israelites and set up camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart.”
King Saul was up against a wall, so to speak. And he was scared. He was terrified. He had to turn some where for help. First, he did seek the Lord’s help, but the Lord didn’t answer him. Why? Because God was not with him.
I Samuel 16:14 “Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.”
Whenever a person disobeys God long enough and gets far enough away from Him, the Spirit of God can be quenched in that person and perhaps even taken away.
David prayed one time and asked God “not” to take away the Holy Spirit from him. Psalm 51:11
If God can give a person the Holy Spirit then apparently if enough sin and disobedience exists in a person’s life, then He can take the Spirit away. THIS IS APPARENTLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO SAUL.
He was afraid of the enemy, but the Lord wouldn’t answer him or help him. SO WHAT DID HE DO NEXT? He turned to the world for his help.
I Samuel 28:7 “Saul then said to his attendants, ‘Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.’ ‘There is one in Endor,’ they said.”
And enter, stage right, THE WITCH OF ENDOR! Saul consulted with a spiritualist medium, which was something God had strictly forbidden. And doing this didn’t take him anywhere good or relieve him from his fears and terror.
Where do you go for help whenever you are cornered and have your back against the wall? I would hope you would never go to a spiritualist medium. But some people would consult their horoscope (or as Ben Alexander calls it “horrorscope.”)
Other people might out of curiosity call the “psychic hotline.” Or they might watch the “Oprah Winfrey” show in order to get all the latest info on life, marriage and what have you. I personally don’t have anything against Oprah Winfrey, but you will not find solid spiritual help for life’s problems by tuning into her TV show or reading her magazine!
ILL.- In Daniel chapter six when Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, he didn’t whip out the latest edition of “Lion Tamer’s Weekly” in order to calm those wild animals. NO! INSTEAD HE LOOKED TO THE GOD OF HEAVEN TO DELIVER HIM!
Daniel 6:23 “When Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, BECAUSE HE HAD TRUSTED IN HIS GOD.”
And David’s God was the true and living God. It always pays to look to the right source for help in life.
Someone said, “When the outlook is terrible, THE UPLOOK IS WONDERFUL!”
The right source for help in life is always the Lord, His Word, His church, and His people. The Lord is the only One who can make things right when things go wrong!
1- We must go to the right source. And...
II. WE MUST USE THE RIGHT SOLUTION
Once we find the right source, we must use the right solution. What is this right solution?
- We must stay focused
Philippians 3:13 “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.”
One thing I do. That’s staying focused. And we must stay focused in life if we want our lives to change for the better.
ILL.- Chuck Swindoll tells the story of a friend whose daughter is into the whole ecological scene. Thankfully, she married a man of like passion, so it’s a good match. Not long ago the two to them, along with their preschool son were driving up the east coast not far from the Atlantic Ocean. They came upon a sign that intrigued them: Naturalist Camp: 3 miles, with an arrow pointing toward the ocean.
Thinking they might meet up with some like minded new friends who love the natural world, they turned and followed the road.
A couple of miles along the two-lane road, they looked into the distance and were shocked to see three people on bicycles, riding toward them.... totally nude.
Realizing their mistake, they were suddenly embarrassed that their son would see the oncoming bikers before they could get turned around. The dad slammed on the brakes, tried his best to do a quick U-turn as he and his wife worked hard to divert their son’s attention.
Neither worked. The boy was staring intently while his dad was steering intensely. Both parents were amazed when they heard their boy burst forth with the statement, “Look, Mom and Dad - none of them are wearing ... safety helmets!”
That boy stayed focused in the midst of a lot of distraction. And we must do the same in this world of ours. And our focus must be on that which is good.
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.”
Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
Our focus must be on that which is positive and godly. You’ve heard the old axiom: “Eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive.”
If we don’t focus on the positive things in life and in our lives then life will never get better for us! Some people only see that which is negative and nasty. And that’s why they’re always gripey and critical. AND SUCH PEOPLE WILL NEVER HAVE A BETTER LIFE. They will live like a turkey rather than soaring like an eagle! They will wallow in the muck and mire instead of singing in the choir!
- We must stay focused on the good things of life and the positive things of life. That’s the right solution. But there is more.
- We must continue in prayer and praise.
I know this sounds so simplistic and shallow. But it is still the truth of Scripture.
Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Paul was saying, “Don’t get shook about anything in life. No matter how bad it may seem to be. Don’t fall to pieces over it. But instead, saturate everything with prayer and thanksgiving or prayer and praise."
We know about the prayer part. We know that God wants us to pray about everything and we do, at least, in our private prayer times. We pour our hearts out to the Lord, and that is good! DON’T STOP!
He is your very best friend! He can read you like a book! He knows you inside and out! And He knows your every heartache and every tear and sympathizes with you completely! Call on Him when you can call on no one else!
Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
God is ever-present with us. He is with us all the time! He is God! And He is also an immediate help in times of trouble! When no one hears us, when no seems to listen, HE DOES! And He will come to our aid in some form or another.
There is the other side of this coin which we must consider, and that is PRAISE! Have you praised God lately? When? How?
I believe that if we ever want to see change come into our lives then we must become a person of praise! And even in the midst of heartache and hard times.
ILL.- In Acts 16 we have the record of Paul and Silas being thrown into prison for preaching Christ. Verse 25 reads, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.”
At midnight, most of us are trying to sleep, but not Paul and Silas. However, if we were in jail, we might not sleep at midnight either. But Paul and Silas were doing the right thing: THEY WERE PRAYING AND PRAISING THE LORD! They were praising the Lord in song!
And please notice the very next thing that happened to them: Verse 26 “Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.”
These things were the result of Paul and Silas praising the Lord! Could it possibly be that if we praised the Lord more, there would be more prison doors opened? And more chains come loose?
I am talking about prisons that we find ourselves in and the chains that hinder us in life and keep us from finding true freedom and joy in the Lord!
ILL.- Nearly every morning I drive down 6th street off Old State Road heading for the Hucks station to get a delicious French Vanilla cappuccino. But before I get there I am generally praising my Father in the car. “Thank you, thank you. I praise you. I bless you.”
And then suddenly I might break out in singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” And if you were in the car with me you might think strange thoughts about me. BUT GUESS WHAT? MY FATHER LIKES MY SINGING VERY MUCH! He loves my praise to Him! He deserves all the praise I can give Him!
And when I do, things in life seem to change for the better. Could it be that we all need to get off by ourselves and praise Him more in prayer and song?
No telling what might happen in our lives. TRY IT. TASTE IT. REVEL IN IT. REJOICE IN IT. AND RECEIVE FROM IT.
- We must stay focused on the good and positive things in life.
- We must spend more time in prayer and especially, praise.
- We must surrender in obedience.
If we want to see changes come about in our lives we must learn to obey the Lord!
ILL.- Last Wednesday night 29 people came to our Parenting Workshop. They watched the video and
then had discussion questions. It was great. Fantastic. Great discussion, great fellowship and a great learning experience. And here is one important lesson that we learned or were reminded of.
Ephesians 6:1-3 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother - which is the first commandment with a promise - THAT IT MAY GO WELL WITH YOU AND THAT YOU MAY ENJOY LONG LIFE ON THE EARTH.”
What happens when a child obeys their parents? That it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.
That goes for all children. AND IT GOES FOR US CHILDREN! We have a Father who wants us to learn to obey Him. And when we do He will bless us with good things, with good days, and a better life.
ILL.- A young teenage boy had just gotten his driver’s license. When he got home, he asked his father if they could discuss the use of the family car. His father said, “I’ll make a deal with you. If you bring up your grades, study your Bible, and get a haircut, then we’ll talk about you using the car.”
About a month later the boy came back to talk to his father about the use of the family car. His father said, “Son, I’ve been very proud of you. You have brought up your grades, you’ve studied your Bible, but you didn’t get your hair cut.”
The boy replied, “But Dad, I’ve been thinking about that. You know that Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long hair, and even Jesus had long hair.”
His father interrupted at that point and said, “YES, SON, AND THEY WALKED EVERYWHERE THEY WENT!”
That teenage boy was getting close to where His father wanted him so he could bless him. BUT NOT CLOSE ENOUGH! He just wasn’t willing to obey his father in every way.
If we want the Father’s blessing on our lives then we must try to obey Him in all ways, as best we can.
CONCLUSION-------------------------------------
ILL.- A preacher said, “There is a friend of mine I will call Joey who calls periodically to talk to me. He hasn’t been to church in years. He never stops by to say, ‘Hi.’ But when he calls, he calls collect.
“Whenever my secretary says, ‘It’s Joey on the phone. Will you accept the call?’ I always say, ‘Yes,’ because I know that Joey is in jail again and needing me to pray for him or come to visit him.
“I love Joey. That is why I always accept his calls. I will continue to do that and to pray for him, but I do not share the deep intimacy with Joey that I desire.
“Joey sees me as some kind of ‘GET OUT OF JAIL FREE’ card to be called upon whenever he gets into trouble.”
Brethren, Joey is so much like us. Or perhaps we are so much like Joey. We call on the Lord when we’re in trouble. We need help and right now! But what the Lord really wants is a continual and abiding relationship with Him.
He loves us more than we can ever imagine and longs for us to have a deep and intimate relationship with Him. AND HE LONGS TO BLESS US AND MAKE THINGS BETTER FOR US.
May we find this relationship to Him and find a better life by looking to Him, by trusting Him, by surrendering to Him.
