WAIT ON THE LORD

Ps 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Introduction:

The word wait, waiteth, waiting is mentioned in King James version of the Bible 125 times.

The fist command of Christ disciples after His ascension in Acts 1:4 is to wait… but wait for the promise of the Father

The waiting room, a land where time seemingly stands still. It is a place where life is put on hold.  When we are in the waiting room, it seems as if progress has come to a screeching halt. The hardest thing to do is to wait – specially if it seems we are waiting for a hopeless situation. One of the important exhortations of the Bible is the call to “wait on the Lord.” Even though God promises special blessing for waiting, waiting is one of the most difficult exhortations of Scripture. 

Why is it so hard? Because, as a part of fallen humanity, we are so prone to take matters into our own hands, to follow our own schemes. Yet, over and over again we are told in Scripture “wait on the Lord.” Waiting Is the Hardest Part especially in our “I want it now!” society. Ours is a society that has grown accustomed to immediate gratification. Due to modern technology and all our conveniences—cell phones,  computer, tablets,  telephones, refrigerators, freezers, microwaves, fast foods, airplanes, etc.—we have many things immediately at our fingertips.

Just think of the speed of the latest computer technology in comparison with the computers of only a few years ago. The first IBM PC Compatible XT Computers released about 1986 originally came with 128 kB of RAM, a 360 kB double-sided 5¼ inch floppy disk drive, a 10 MB hard drive. The motherboard had an Intel 8088 microprocessor running at 4.77 MHz. Now, the modern computers can be bought at 100 - 1,000 times faster in speed and bigger (in terms of data capacity)!

Even in our modern age of conveniences, waiting is still a big part of life. When we think of waiting, what comes to mind? We might conjure up visions of an airport terminal, a doctor’s waiting room, the line at the supermarket, or being stuck in rush hour traffic.

The facts are, most of us are waiting for something most of the time:

Maybe you are waiting and hoping that conditions will change for the better.

Maybe you are without a job and waiting for news on an application.

Maybe you are ill (or have a loved one who is) and waiting for your health to improve.

Maybe you are on a diet and waiting for your weight to drop a few pounds. (or the reverse of it)

A single person may be waiting for Mr. or Miss Right.

Or maybe you are waiting for your spouse or child to become interested in spiritual things.

The simple fact is, in spite of our modern age and our dislike for waiting, life is full of waiting. And one of the most challenging exhortations of Scripture is “Wait.” But waiting, despite our impatience and our dislike for it, is a vital element in life. Indeed, waiting has a number of benefits that we will discuss in this message.

When we think of waiting on the Lord, there are a number of important questions that need to be answered and understood in light of the principles and promises of Scripture. Why? Because without these answers, we become fearful, frustrated, anxious, and even angry. However, because the Lord tells us to wait, and since it has some wonderful benefits, we need to know what it means to wait and how that is to be done.

WAITING INVOLVES NEGATIVES AND POSITIVES

When we think of waiting, we might envision just sitting back, not doing much of anything, just waiting for something to happen. But that is not the kind of waiting the Bible is calling for. Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of waiting is learning to hold the negatives and the positives in proper balance.

Waiting involves a passivity and an activity—negatives and positives—things we should do and things we should not do. These negatives and positives in relation to waiting are closely wound together like the strands in a rope. When wound together properly, they give great strength, courage, patience, and endurance.

As to activity, waiting involves three things:

(1) Things we do—doing the right things.

(2) Things we are not to do—refraining from the wrong things.

(3) Things that happen to us, in us, and for us in the process of biblical waiting.

Some key questions we might ask are:

What does it mean to wait? What’s involved?

How are we to wait? Who and what are we waiting for?

Why should we wait? How long do we wait?

We will help to answer some of these questions with biblical answers so we can truly learn to wait for and on the Lord and experience the promised blessing of God. First, let’s take a quick look at the key words used in Scripture in connection with this subject and we will used those definitions as the things that we need to do or the things that will happen as we wait for the Lord.

1.    QAVAH - STRENGTHEN

Waiting means – strengthening time

In the KJB the word most often translated “wait” in the sense of waiting on the Lord is the Hebrew qavah. Qavah means (1) “to bind together” (perhaps by twisting strands as in making a rope), (2) “look patiently,” (3) “tarry or wait,” and (4) “hope, expect, look eagerly.”

Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Waiting time is strengthen time –

God wants to develop your spiritual muscles.

In every military training, the trainers exposes every trainee in an extraneous physical exercises  in order to develop their physical strength and muscles – but for every Christian soldiers God wants to strengthen our spiritual muscle.

How – by waiting upon God. Qavah which means “to bind together perhaps by twisting strands as in making a rope”

Illustrate: the rope – the ropes strength depends on how many strands it has. It maximum strength will be the total strength of every rope.

God wants his children to be strengthen by twisting on Him – so that God strength will become his strength.

Renew – means exchange

Illustrate: the weak plant (i.e. the vines) will look for a stronger and bigger plant and then that weak plant will begin to twist from the bottom up.

The weak plants …. Become stronger

 2. YACHAL - TRUST

Waiting – means trusting time

The second most frequently used word translated “wait” is yachal. Yachal means “to wait,” or “hope, wait expectantly,” and is so translated in our English Bibles. The KJV sometimes translates yachal as “trust” as in Isaiah 51:5,

Trust is synonymous with faith –

God’s wants to increase our faith – when we wait upon God our trust and faith in Him strengthen.

God can only entrust a servant who trust in Him -

Illustration – In the life of David, Joseph and even in Job –

In the book of Psalm we can read passages upon passages how David wait upon God as well as how he trust God. So we trust God more as we learn ot wait upon Him.

Trust means faith in God – a positive expectation – hoping for the best – that all things work together for good.

It is develop by a person with patience –  CHAKAH – PATIENCEA fourth word for waiting is chakah, “to wait, tarry,” or “long for” (cf. Ps. 33:20; 106:13; Isa. 30:18).

Don’t’ quit – trust God – many a time we don’t’ know our situation – that’s the time to learn to trust God.

The God of today can still performs a miracle – to those children who waits upon him -  Isa 64:4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

God prepares something you don’t see yet. Something you don’t hear yet something you don’t imagine yet – but you need to trust Him.

Trust God that He can transform – a supplanter into a prince with the power of God – that’s Jacob that becomes Israel as he wrestle with God in Prayer as he waits upon God to bless him.

Trust God that he can transform a sorrowful man into an honorable man just like Jabez as he prayed – o thou that bless me indeed.  And God granted that which he requested.

Only a person who wait upon God transform into a natural to supernatural person –

Illustrate: How a diamond form – it is just a carbon subjected to

Diamonds are formed by intense pressure on carbon deposits in the Earth's surface. With enough pressure and time, a chunk of carbon can form a diamond.

Gem-quality diamonds are weighed in carats. A top gem-quality, one-carat diamond today  will cost you US$23,672. One kilo equals 5,000 carats. USD 120B.

   

3. DAMAM – KNOWING GOD

A third word sometimes translated “wait” is damam. Damam means “to be dumb, grow silent, be still,” but it is sometimes translated “wait, tarry, rest. Ps 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

The present world is in turmoil – tsumami, floods all over the world, earthquakes, famines, wars and rumor of wars, ebola, ISIS, etc. And being a Christian does not exempt us.  These things are the noise of this world. We are always bombarded by negative things and thoughts. Then here comes the technology and gadgets, social networks  – the iPod, iPad, iPhone, cellphone, smartphone, net-tops, tablets, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube – and the sad thing is that all of these just create noise but does not help us to draw near or closer to God.  

Most of the things that we possesses if we are not careful are things that hinder our relationship with God because most of those things does not make us quiet. We have all those gadgets connected to our bodies. Remember that the most important thing in our Christian life is our relationship with Him. And this relationship must foster or grow. The grave question tonight - do we really know God?

Still means – to slacken -abate, cease, consume, draw, fail,  be faint, be  feeble, forsake, idle, leave, let alone, slack, stay, be still, be slothful,  be weak

Knowing God is our duty.

To be still – don’t complain, don’t murmur but learn to wait upon God. Our duty is to Sit down and wait in patience. God hated the Israelite because of their too much murmurings and complains.  

Wait upon God, Be still, that is, beware of murmuring against me, saith the Lord. 

We always cry, murmur or complain about our situation, that we are always tested – that the devil try us – that sister So and Brother So is unfair that we are always the victim of circumstances. And because of that we missed the most important lesson God wants to teach in our life – we missed many opportunity of learning.

Our duty is to listen before God – wait on His instruction. Our Lord wants to instruct us how to be happy, productive and fruitful, and how to live victoriously. But our problem is we don’t have time to listen. We go with the noise this world is making. We lost our focus because of those noise that already attached in our body.

Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

His being God is a sufficient reason why we should be still before him. Many great ideas were developed in silence.

   

To know God is our priviledge - that I am God. It speaks about past, present and future:

1.  In that he is God, he is an absolutely and infinitely perfect being.

2.  As he is God, he is so great, that he is infinitely above all comprehension.

3.  As he is God, all things are his own.

4.  In that he is God, he is worthy to be sovereign over all things.

5.  In that he is God, he will be sovereign, and will act as such

6.  In that he is God, he is able to avenge himself on those who oppose his sovereignty.-  

To hear that still small voice – the voice of God the Holy Spirit that is in us. The Holy Spirit that is in us a still small voice that we can’t hear if we don’t listen to Him in stillness.

To know that we are protected - Isa 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Our priviledge as we listen to Him aw we wait upon God is that we will know Him better.

I personally experienced to call Jesus as my friend during those unexplainable events of my life – I know dearly that He is my Father as I wait upon Him as I developed my relationship with God. Those are our privilege to know God.

     

Our main goal and our objective is that God must be exalted and glorified – I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Acts 1:4, 8 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth

God wants first to wait upon Him, listen to Him and develop our relationship with because He wants to  use you to exalt his Holy name.

Conclusion:

1.    QAVAH - STRENGTHEN

Wating means – strengthening time

2.    YACHAL - TRUST

Waiting – means trusting time

3.    DAMAM – KNOWING GOD

Waiting – means knowing God more and more


Rey Sandoval Dalde
Ark Bible Way Baptist Mission
reydalde@gmail.com