Cha Sa-soon, a 69-year-old Korean woman, finally received her driving license after 3 years of trying to pass the written test. She wanted the license so she could take her grandchildren to the zoo.
She was persistent in what is normally an instant world. When we want something and cannot get it, we often complain and demand. At other times, we give up and move on if what we want cannot be quickly gratified. “Wait” is a word we hate to hear! Yet, many times the Bible tells us that God wants us to wait on Him for the right timing.
Waiting on God means patiently looking to Him for what we need. David recognized why he had to wait on the Lord. First, his salvation came from Him (Ps. 62:1). He learned that no one else could deliver him. His only hope was in God (v.5), for God alone hears our prayers (v.8).
Our prayers often revolve around asking God to hurry up and bless what we want to do. What if God’s answer to us is simply, “Be patient. Wait upon Me”? We can pray with David: “Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly” (Ps. 5:3 nlt). We can trust His response, even if it doesn’t come in the time we expect.
When we call out to You, O Lord,
And wait for answers to our prayer,
Give us the patience that we need
And help us sense Your love and care. —Sper
This psalm is divided into two sections (vv.1-4 and vv.5-8) with almost identical wording in both (vv.2,6). Each section begins with the affirmation that David’s soul waits silently for God (vv.1,5), and in both David describes Him as a rock. Because of God, David will not be moved (vv.2,6-7). Though David speaks to himself in the opening verses of each section, he moves on to address others in later verses. In verses 3-4, he addresses those who stand against him with a warning that they will be defeated. And in verse 8, he encourages the people of God to trust Him for refuge and protection.
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Introduction:
A. One day there was a man who was taking it easy, lying on the grass, looking up at the clouds, and having a conversation with God
1. The man said, “God, how long is a million years to you?”
a. God answered, “In my frame of reference, a million years is about a minute.”
2. The man asked, “God, how much is a million dollars to you?”
a. God answered, “To Me, a million dollars is like a penny.
3. Then the man asked, “God, can I please have one of your pennies?”
a. God replied, “Absolutely, just give me a minute.”
B. How many of you like waiting for things?
1. The older folks here may remember the classic 1979 television commercials for Heinz Ketchup that showed people waiting for the thick, rich Heinz Ketchup to pour out of the bottle in slow motion while the Carly Simon song “Anticipation” played in the background.
2. An article in Time.com a few years ago noted that ketchup flows out of a glass bottle at a rate of .028 miles per hour – That is really slow, isn’t it!
a. That’s slower than a Galapagos tortoise, which, according to the San Diego Zoo, zips along at a blazing 0.16 miles per hour, or almost six times faster than ketchup.
3. However, Dave Smith, a PhD candidate at MIT, and a team of MIT mechanical engineers and nano-technologists have offered a possible solution to this ketchup flow problem.
a. After months of research, Smith and his team developed something called LiquiGlide.
b. The researchers say that coating the inside of a bottle with LiquiGlide will cause ketchup and other sauces to slide out faster than a Galapagos tortoise.
c. Smith claims that the sauce industry, which rakes in $17 billion a year, would love to get their hands on the invention.
4. Keith Wagstaff, the author of the Time article concluded, “Let’s hope some big companies bite. I’m tired of waiting five minutes for ketchup to land on my cheeseburger.” (Keith Wagstaff, “MIT Scientists Figure Out How to Get Ketchup Out of the Bottle,” Time.com, 5-22-12; www.PreachingToday.com)
C. None of us like to wait, do we?
1. We don’t like to wait for ketchup.
2. We don’t like to wait at the checkout line or the red light.
3. And we don’t like to wait on God.
4. And that’s when some people take matters into their own hands and try to hurry God along, but that only makes things worse.
D. At least that’s what happened to Abraham and Sarah.
1. God had promised them many descendants, and that Abraham’s heir would come from his own DNA, his own flesh and blood.
2. And so they waited for their first child…and they waited…and waited…for ten long years, they waited.
3. Then they decided they needed to help God out.
4. Let’s pick up their story in Genesis 16.
I. The Story
A. The Bible says: 1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. (Gen. 16:1-3)
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Learning to wait on the Lord is not only difficult, but with the waiting can come pain, heartache, hopelessness and worry when we begin to focus on something other than Jesus.
But, when we turn our eyes upon Jesus, the things of earth grow strangely dim. And that is why we must learn to wait on the Lord…not for our circumstances to change…not for our happily ever after…but for Jesus. Waiting on Him alone.
I’m so honored and excited to be sharing stories from many of my friends as they have learned and grown while waiting on the Lord. I will link each of their stories on this page.
The testimonies of these ladies point straight to Jesus. Not all of their stories have happy endings, yet you will hear them testifying to the goodness of God. That is what the gospel is all about, friends. Jesus came, knowing we would have troubles in this world, to bring us peace in the midst of the storm. Sometimes our biggest life lessons are those of just finding Jesus in the mess. He is there, dear ones!
You do not want to miss the encouragement these ladies are sharing in this series, I pray you are encouraged and filled with hope! We will read stories of waiting on the Lord through infertility, adoption, financial struggles, depression, marriage struggles, grief, and more. Come back each Friday as we all take in the stories of these women and learn for ourselves to truly wait on God alone.
Table of contents
Stories of Learning to Wait on God
My Depression Story
Debbie of The Architect and The Artist shares Waiting on God When Church Hurts
Jennifer of Expanding Wisdom shares Our Struggle is Not Against Flesh & Blood
Karen of Living, Unabridged shares The God Who Answers in His Own Timing
Michele of Preschoolers and Peace shares The Year of Waiting for Our Children
Alyssa shares Waiting on God through Infertility and Adoption
Amanda of The Pelsers shares Remembering the Steadfast Love of God
Grace shares Waiting on God through Infertility and Heartache
Amber of Classic Housewife shares When You’re Weary of Waiting
LaToya of Learning to Let Him Lead shares When Waiting Hurts
Terri of Take a Walk in My Shoes shares When the Healing Doesn’t Come
Wendy of Hip Homeschool Moms shares Continuing to Wait
Durenda of Simple Nourishing Home shares It’s Never a Waste of Time to Wait on God
Laurie of Successful Homemakers shares Waiting to Move
Lindsey of The Road to 31 shares Waiting to Serve
Richele of Under the Golden Apple Tree shares Waiting Builds Faith
Jennifer of The Purposeful Mom
Conclusion & Give Away
Wait Only Upon God Devotional
God’s Word has a lot to say about waiting! If you’d like to read one verse per day, for 40 days, on waiting on the Lord, you can find this new devotional here:
Ebook found here. Print copy on amazon.
Author: Candace Crabtree
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Acts 16:17 – 36
Paul and Silas found that they were in very deep trouble for preaching the gospel. They were beaten and thrown in to jail and their testimony was to sing praises and songs to the almighty God. God rewarded their singing with the souls of the gaurds and their faimily. How much more can we be in tune to praising God when we know that his eye is upon us.
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord: Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.Ephesians 5 :19, 20
The next time you are outside listen to the many songs that the birds rise up and praise God with. Sometimes a song is just what we need to get our hearts in tune with God. Just remembering that he looks out for all of his creatures, even the little sparrows should instill the grandest feeling of love knowing that he watches over us as well. I love this song because it teaches me to sing the wondrous love of Jesus.
His Eye is On The SparrowWhy should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come, Why should me heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home, When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He: His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow.
And I know He watches me.
Let not you heart be troubled, His tender word I hear, And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.
Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise, When songs give place to sighing when hope within me dies, draw the closer to Him from care He sets me free; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.
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