DON’T WASTE YOUR WAITING!

October 26, 2023

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for 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.” Isaiah 40:28-31

Who likes to wait?

I think almost everyone hates to wait.

So, what does that say about me – and you?

WAITING REVEALS WHO IS IN CONTROL

  • “I want what I want and I want it now! When I am forced to wait, I am offended, oftentimes, I am angry and frustrated!”
  • Traffic is a personal assault against me. How dare all these cars get in my way when I have important things to do?
  • Put me on hold on the phone? No, thank you! I have far better things to do with my time than sitting on the phone listening to elevator music!

I hate to wait because I want to be in control. 

The fast-paced culture in which we live is far different than, say, 30, 40, or 50+ years ago:

  • People had to plant a field and wait for their food to grow. We just go through the drive-thru and get frustrated when we have to wait 2-3 minutes.
  • People had to wait several days for a letter to be delivered to communicate with a loved one in another city. We just send a text message.
  • People had to wait for a newspaper to be delivered to get updates from around the world. We just press a button on our phones. 

Ultimately, waiting reveals that I am not in control.

Well, guess what? God has a purpose in making me wait. God uses waiting to show me He is in control. He uses waiting to speak into my life in ways that I could never hear when I am getting everything I want on my timeline.

We can only see the here and now, but God exists outside the boundaries of time and sees all from the beginning of time to the end of the age. The theological term for this is ‘omniscient.’ God is all-seeing and all-knowing and is not limited by time and space. He is not limited to our seeing and understanding. As we wait, we are invited to trust in the one who sees what we cannot see. As we wait, our perspective is like looking at a tiny grain of sand on an endless seashore. God can see the entire beach. Waiting brings us face-to-face with all our limitations. Waiting is an invitation to see who is truly in control and an invitation to place our faith and trust in the One who sees all and knows all.

God is at work when we realize we are not in control.

WAITING RESTORES MY STRENGTH

Our scripture reference today is the beautiful promise to those who learn the true gift of waiting on the Lord.

  • Waiting restores our strength because it allows us to see it is not about our strength at all.
  • When our strength is gone and we realize how much we truly need the strength of Another, then we can see the true power of God. When we feel like we can’t take another step, then we can see the true gift of God at work.
  • Waiting invites us to see that the power of God is greater than any strength we could muster up on our own. Waiting brings me to the end of myself so that I can begin to trust in the power of God.
  • Ultimately, waiting invites us to a place of contentment that defies all circumstances, because it helps us to see that God is at work to reveal His love and grace when we need it the most. 

Don’t waste your waiting!

Let your waiting remind you who is in control and return you to the everlasting God who does not faint or grow weary. Ask God to show you what it means to be content in your circumstances. Because it is then that He reveals His love and grace, and the gift He has given you through the cross of Jesus Christ –  the unparalleled expression of God at work during our deepest need!

Taken from a sermon by George Wright, Senior Pastor, Shades Mountain Baptist Church

Read “Stuck. Helpless. And Waiting.” by Jonathan Munson