“For the Joy of the Lord is your Strength” Nehemiah 8:10

Lord Help Me Wait Upon Thee by Pastor Fee Soliven Psalm 27:11-14 Sunday Morning November 2, 2014

Psalm 27: Teach me Your way, O LORD, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. 12 Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, And such as breathe out violence. 13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.

14 Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!

Philippians 4:6-7 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

James 1:4-8 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

The wisest thing we can do is to start every day by connecting with Almighty God.

What does it mean to wait on the Lord?

1. God uses delays to prepare us for His plans

Malachi 3:6 "For I am the LORD, I do not change..."

Deuteronomy 8:2 "And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not."

2. Waiting on God is an active stillness.

Psalm 37:7 "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way..."

3. Waiting on God is Purposeful

Psalm 62:5-6 5 My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.

4. God knows when we’re willing to accept His answers

Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

We are frequently admonished in Scripture to wait on the Lord.

1. God promises that we will not be disappointed or ashamed when we trust in Him.

Psalm 25:1-3 1 To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. 3 Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

2. The Lord tells us not to fret because He is watching over us.

Psalm 37:1 "Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity."

Psalm 37:7-9 7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret--it only causes harm. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD,

Psalm 37:34 "Wait on the LORD, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it."

3. God isn’t trying to keep His plan secret

Psalm 40:1 "I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry."

4. No matter what we are facing, we can know that God always acts on behalf of those who wait for Him

Isaiah 64:4 "For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him."

Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

Why does God require that we wait?

1. To Receive His clear direction

Psalm 139:3-4 3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.

2. To keep us in step with His timing

1. To Test our Faith

Ephesians 1:3-5 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,

5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will...

2. To Strengthen our Faith

2 Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight"

3. To Sift the Motives for our Desires

How Should We wait?

1. Patiently

Psalm 37:7 "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way..."

2. Quietly

Psalm 62:1 "Truly my soul silently waits for God..."

3. Trustingly

Proverbs 3:5-6 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

4. Expectantly

Psalm 27:13 "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living."

5. Steadfastly and Courageously

Psalm 27:14 "Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!"

6. Standing on God’s Word

Psalm 130:5-6 5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning--Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.

1. How would your life change if each morning you asked the Lord specfically to guide you into His plan for that day?

2. When God delays in acting or intervening in your life, how do you typically respond?

3. How would understanding His purposes for the waiting period change your response?

4. Think about your most recent experience of waiting upon the Lord. What do you think He was trying to teach you during that time?

“For the Joy of the Lord is your Strength” Nehemiah 8:10