WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO WAIT ON THE LORD?
Text Isaiah 40:31
Last week we looked at waiting on the Lord by looking at the eagle and how they raise their young.
Today I want to continue to look at waiting on the Lord but look more in depth on the waiting part but maybe with a slightly different twist.
The Hebrew word for wait in Isaiah 40:31 means: to bind together (perhaps by twisting) to expect:- gather (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon).
So there is a coming together with the Lord implied in the word as well as patience and waiting for, waiting on and waiting upon Him
If you were employed by a restaurant to wait on tables what would be your job description
1. Knowledge of the requirements of the owner and the goods on offer ie. the menu
2. Show the customer the menu and ask what they want from the menu
3. Bring the customer the meal or drinks that they have ordered.
In other words your job description could be brought down to that of a servant and having knowledge of the service you are providing.
I believe that this is the very heart of what waiting on the Lord is all about.
Gaining Knowledge of Him though His Word and asking Him what He requires of you. This brings us into a close relationship with Him but there must be the willingness to serve coming from that.
You must go out and get or accomplish what God wants you to do and give it to Him or show Him the completed work. In other words bring all the Glory back to God. Servanthood.
If you get good service and good food at a restaurant you will remember the name of the restaurant. Not necessarily the name of the waiter.
SO HOW DO WE LEARN SERVANTHOOD
JESUS is our best example of Servanthood and being THE WORD OF GOD shows through THE WORD how to wait on God through Servanthood
Like the baby eagle we need to feed on the right food
A good mix of both Old & New Testament not just your favourite verses.
As a waiter in a restaurant needs to have an intimate knowledge of all the food on offer, we need to have an intimate knowledge of God’s spiritual food, His Word the Bible.
James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Servanthood brings with it humility and that is one of the three things God requires of us and were certainly attributes that Jesus had in abundance
Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
People have tried all kinds of ways to please God, but God has made His wishes clear: He wants his people to be just, merciful, and to walk humbly with Him.
TO WAIT ON GOD WE MUST ACT JUSTLY
There are times in each of our lives that we have the opportunity to do what is right or what is wrong. It’s six in the morning, the light won’t turn green, no one is around, do you run the red light? You are called to go into work on Saturday morning, but it’s such a great day, no one will care if you don’t come in today, do you call in sick? You over hear some people using the Lords name in vain, you know you should say something, but do you? God is calling us to what is right. God is calling us to act justly. (Titus 1:16 says, "They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.")
When God calls us to act justly how do we respond?
Do we say Yes Lord, I will follow you,
Yes Lord, you are first in my life,
Yes Lord, I’ll go where you want me to go and do what you want me to do, and then do we follow through!
The Christian group D.C. Talk said -- “The greatest problem with Christianity today, are people who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and deny Him by their lifestyle, that is what an unbelieving world, simply finds unbelievable.” God is calling us to wait on Him by Acting Justly!
TO WAIT ON GOD WE MUST LOVE MERCY
To have mercy on someone means that you have pity on them or you show them leniency. I’m defiantly glad that is what God does for me.
In Matthew 18, Jesus tells of a King who wanted to settle his accounts, so he called in all the people who owed him money and asked for it back. One man owed the king ten thousand talents (a lot of money) There was no way the man could ever repay the king, but the king had mercy on his servant and cancelled the debt. The servant then went to his friend who owed him a hundred denarii (not very much money) and asked for his money back, the man said that he couldn’t pay it back yet, so you know what that servant did, he threw his friend in prison. Of course when the king heard about this, he was not happy and that is where we pick up with the story.
Matthew 18:32-35 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ’You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. [33] Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ [34] And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. [35] So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."
We have to be willing to forgive our neighbour, and not only forgive them, but do it from our heart! If we truly want to be God’s servants and wait on Him, then we have to love mercy!
TO WAIT ON GOD WE MUST WALK HUMBLY BEFORE OUR GOD
1 Pet 5:5 says, that "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
James 5:10 says, "Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up"
God will lift you up! But, what does it mean to really humble yourself?
It means that you have to be willing to give of yourself.
You have to be willing to give of your time, and use your talents.
It means that you have to get rid of those sins that are causing you to be separated from a God who wants nothing more, than to lift you up!
You see God never calls for us to do anything that He has not already done. He never asks any more of us, than He asked of His own Son.
Philip. 2:5-11 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, [6] who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, [7] but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. [9] Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, [11] and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The only way I can see it, is that if you want to be God’s servants and wait on Him, then you need to walk Humbly before your God!
As servants of God, you must examine these areas regularly.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS ON WHAT IT MEAN’S TO WAIT ON THE LORD
Involves the third person of the Trinity, The HOLY SPIRIT
1 Cor. 2:11-16 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. [12] Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. [13] These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. [14] But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. [15] But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. [16] For "who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
No one can comprehend God, but through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, believers have insight into some of God’s plans, thoughts, and actions—they, in fact, have the mind of Christ.”
Through the Holy Spirit we can begin to know God’s thoughts, talk with him, and expect his answers to our prayers.
Our prayer language or speaking in Tongues is a vital part of waiting on God and knowing His will for us.
As we wait on God by communicating with Him in the Spirit, speaking in tongues, He guides us into all truth and tells us about things to come
John 16:13
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
By way of illustration
Mary & Martha waited on the Lord
Mary at His feet Martha with much runing around
Jesus said that Mary chose the better thing
Luke 10:39-42
And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. [40] But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." [41] And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. [42] But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."
Are you spending enough time with Jesus to have his very mind in you?
An intimate relationship with God Father Son & Holy Spirit comes only from spending time consistently in His presence and in his Word.
ARE YOU WAITING ON GOD?
