Wait Training

For those not familiar with an Anglican Service, there are four readings prior to the Message. The Readings assigned for this day are: Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:4-9; James 5:7-10 and Matthew 11:2-11

A man in Los Angeles, California ..... was arrested for negligent discharge of a weapon ..... after shooting his toilet bowl ...... five times with a 38 caliber handgun.

He claimed that he couldn't take it any longer.

His daughter had flushed a hairbrush down the toilet earlier in the day ..... which had clogged the pipes.

So he shot the offending toilet.

I have no word on the toilet's condition, ..... but the man's patience was long gone.

Is patience difficult for you?

It has been said, ..... Patience is a virtue, ..... possess it if you can.

It is found seldom in a woman, ........ and never in a man.

"Perhaps you can relate to this story.

"One day a man was to meet his wife downtown to spend some time shopping with her.

He waited patiently for 15 minutes.

Then he waited impatiently for 15 minutes more. After that, he became angry.

Seeing one of those photograph booths nearby (the kind that accepts coins into a slot and takes four pictures while you pose on a small bench), ..... he had an idea.

He assumed the most ferocious expression he could manage, ..... which wasn't difficult under the circumstances, ...... and in a few moments he was holding four small prints ...... that shocked even him!

He wrote his wife's name on the back of the photographs and handed them to a clerk behind the desk.

He said: "If you see a small, dark lady with brown eyes and an apologetic expression, ..... apparently looking for someone, ..... would you please give her these?"

He then returned to his office content ...... that if a picture is worth a thousand words,..... then these four photos must be a full-blown lecture!

His wife saved those pictures.

She carries them in her purse and shows them to anyone who asks ....... are you married." (Pause)

We must learn the art of patience ....... if we truly want to enjoy life.

I think a good term might be "wait training" that is "W-A-I-T" training."

One workout we should regularly participate in is the exercise to me...... of patience.

For it seems that there is always something we are waiting for. (Pause)

How are you with patience?

Could you use some ...... "Wait Training"

Every day ...... presents plenty of occasions ...... for training ..... in patience.

We can resent waiting, ..... accept it ..... or even get good at it!

But one thing is certain ...... we cannot avoid it.

Hear God's Promise to us BIBLE "those who wait upon 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." END

Beloved ..... God is telling us ..... there are times that we need ...... to slow down.

Times we need to wait on him ... and renew our strength.

To wait on him to direct us.

We have all heard the expression; Lord give me patience -- and give it to me ..... Right Now.

The story is told ...... that the great New England preacher Phillips Brooks ...... was known for ..... his calmness and poise.

His intimate friends, however, knew that he suffered moments of frustration and irritability.

One day a friend saw him pacing the floor like a caged lion.

'What is the trouble, Dr. Brooks?' asked his friend.

'The trouble is,' replied Brooks, 'that I'm in a hurry, but God isn't.' I'm in a hurry but God Isn't!

Haven't we felt the same way at times? (Pause)

Patience ..... is what James is addressing in today's text.

What does it mean to wait on God?

Waiting for God is not laziness.

Waiting for God is not going to sleep.

Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort.

The Hebrew word translated "waiting" . . . has affinity with a word that means "to entrench."

The idea of waiting for God ..... is that of digging ourselves into God; ..... fully entrenching yourself in God.

Therefore..... Waiting for God is the power to do nothing ....... save under His command.

Waiting for God requires strength rather than weakness. It is the power .... to do .... nothing.

Waiting is the strength ..... that prevents us from committing a blundering action ...... that we will latter regret.

The Scripture's tell us Be still.... Be still..... and know that I am God.

Waiting is far more difficult than working. . . .

Beloved...... "Wait Training" requires spiritual strength.

James addresses the temptations we all face when problems overwhelm us: