1 / 20

Waiting Upon The Lord

Waiting Upon The Lord. Part 2: A Biblical Response. Recapping God’s Purpose. A matter of perspective – ours or God’s? Qavah – “to bind together (intertwined) like a cord” God’s purpose To keep us dependent on him To grow our faith and worth and give us the ability to trust (Romans 12:3)

erichards
Download Presentation

Waiting Upon The Lord

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Waiting Upon The Lord Part 2: A Biblical Response

  2. Recapping God’s Purpose • A matter of perspective – ours or God’s? • Qavah – “to bind together (intertwined) like a cord” • God’s purpose • To keep us dependent on him • To grow our faith and worth and give us the ability to trust (Romans 12:3) • HIS WILL for our lives is the context of our prayers • To be right with Him • Psalm 25:14 “Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence Him. With them alone He shares the secrets of His promises”

  3. In such times .... • Waiting upon God requires: • Complete dependence on God • A willingness to allow Him to decide the terms, including the timing • So .... unite with the Lord like strands in a rope by waiting upon Him for the fulfilment of His will in our lives

  4. Four governing Principles of waiting on the Lord • Let God be your only hope • Be still and alone with God and seek His will for your life • Submit to God’s sovereignty • Be patient because God will deliver on His will for your life

  5. This Week’s Readings • Psalm 123 • (Our attitude) • James 1:2-8 • (Motive & faith) • Hebrews 11 v 1-2 & 13-16 • (God’s ultimate purpose is for us to be right with him – it is a heavenly reward! It is peace!)

  6. So, this week • How to wait upon the Lord • From a biblical perspective • Put self aside • Work within the context of God’s will for our lives • He has set the boundaries • Psalm 16:5-6 “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” • Colour in between the lines

  7. Waiting is hard work! • We want short term results / indicators of re-assurance that we are on track • There are no guarantees that our waiting will ever end in this life time • Our response to waiting is reflective of our faith and trust • Seasons of waiting reveal where we place our trust and hope • Godly waiting is a sign of Christian maturity

  8. Faith Cake Recipe Ingredients Timing

  9. 10 Ingredients of Godly waiting

  10. 1 Adopt a serving attitude • Psalm 123 v 2 clearly illustrates that waiting upon the Lord doesn’t mean that we sit and do nothing • Two possible scenarios: • Waiting like a patient in a dentist room • Biding our time until we finally get served and have our need met • Serving like a waiter – filling our time with service to the Master, always on our feet, ready to minister • “We need to be near Him (entwined) and attentive so that we may catch the slightest intimation of what He wants from us.” Linda Green: Director of Women’s Ministries of Orchard Evangelical Church

  11. 2 Remember God’s purpose and let this be your motive • To grow in faith (God’s will for us) and eliminate doubt (James 1:2-8) • To have that which is granted used as a means of ministry • Thy will be done! • Roll of the saints in Hebrews 11 • (When the roll is called up yonder will you be there?)

  12. 3 Believe that it is the God who saved you that hears your cries • Micah 7:7 says “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Saviour; my God will hear me” • Romans 8:32 says “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things” • The cross is our guarantee that God is for us and will give us everything we would ask for if we knew everything He knew! • Psalm 25:14 “Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence Him. With them alone He shares the secrets of His promises”

  13. 4 Wait with expectancy, but be prepared for unexpected answers • Psalm 5:3 “In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation” • God knows that meeting my desires involves varying degrees of discomfort and inconvenience in my life • God will teach us to be patient often in painful ways • Be careful for what you ask for as the trials will come • Refer to James 1 • The expected answer may not come in this lifetime • Hebrews 11

  14. 5 Put your hope in His word • Psalm 130:5-6 “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my trust” • God allows us to experience disappointments in life to teach us that nothing else will truly satisfy or provide us with a firm foundation except God’s word • Green shoots • We can wait with confidence because of God’s inerrant word • No matter how dark the night is, His light will break through in our lives

  15. 6 Trust in the Lord, not in your own understanding • Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and not lean on your own understanding” • Full steam ahead in our own arrogance – like the Titanic • We prefer to ask God to fix rather than guide • The book of Kings gives many examples of how trusting in one’s own power leads to disaster • Abraham and his lies • Our own plans come back to bite us

  16. 7 Resist fretting, refrain from anger, be still and choose patience • Psalm 37:7-8 “Rest in the Lord; wait patiently for Him to act. Don’t be envious of evil men who prosper. 8 Stop your anger! Turn off your wrath. Don’t fret and worry—it only leads to harm.” • Be still and know that I am God! • Elijah experienced God in a whisper despite the natural havoc around him • When we choose to wait quietly and trustingly, we not only honour God but encourage others to put their trust in Him too

  17. 8 Be strong, take courage and be patient • Psalm 27:13-14 “Don’t be impatient. Wait for the Lord, and he will come and save you! Be brave, stout-hearted, and courageous. Yes, wait and he will help you.” • Fear and its buddies control • Strength not found in self but only in Jesus • Empowered to be courageous when: • We meditate on the sovereign rule and power of God • We remember that our “light momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor 4:17)

  18. 9 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful and thanksgiving • Colossians 4:2 “Don’t be weary in prayer; keep at it; watch for God’s answers, and remember to be thankful when they come” • The temptation is to stop praying • His answer, His way, His time • HIS WILL FOR OUR LIVES • He is the potter, we are the clay

  19. 10 Remember the blessings yet to come • Isaiah 30:18 “Yet the Lord still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love; he will conquer you to bless you, just as he said. For the Lord is faithful to his promises. Blessed are all those who wait for him to help them.” • Hope set on this life and the gratification of the flesh WILL result in hopelessness and discouragement • The gospel assures us that God is for us and works all things together for good for those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)

  20. Rejoice that you are called and that your waiting is not in vain Rejoice because in waiting there is growth

More Related