Your Waiting Time Is Not Wasted Time

Photo by Anaya Katlego on Unsplash

This is the manuscript to a sermon preached at Christ Church, Los Angeles on September 16, 2018.  While we often have to wait for an answer to our prayers that waiting time doesn't have to be wasted time.  The sermon is adapted from my blog post, "Your Waiting Time Doesn't Have To Be Wasted Time". In the sermon I talk about what's involved in waiting on God, and end with some skills that we need to develop so that our waiting time won’t be wasted time.  To hear the sermon click the YouTube link at the end of the manuscript.

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

You may be praying for something that hasn’t happened yet.  Maybe it’s for you, a friend, or family member to be healed of an illness, maybe it’s for a financial blessing, maybe it’s for a new job, maybe it’s for a spouse, whatever it is it hasn't happened and you are wondering if it will ever happen.  Yes, you have faith in God and His promises but it’s so hard to wait.

Waiting doesn't mean just sitting around and doing nothing but waiting on God is active as we exercise faith in Him, and while we wait we should never forget that God is with us while we are waiting.

Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

While we wait God may be working to put things in place for the perfect time.  Waiting teaches us patience and patience ends in perfection.

James 1:2-4 NLT Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

I am learning to wait patiently on God’s timing.  I’m not there yet but I’m getting better.

What does waiting on God involve?

Waiting Means Resting

Resting in the Lord requires patience.  That doesn’t mean doing nothing because patience is active.  Patience requires an act of your will.  You must determine yourself that you will wait on the Lord.  It doesn't happen automatically.  

Psalm 37:4 (NKJV)⁴  Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Just three verses later it says.

Psalm 37:7 (NKJV)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.

Delighting yourself in the Lord  means that your thoughts are constant towards God and that everything you do is in obedience to Him.   When you delight in something, your thoughts are constant towards it; you think about it all the time.  That signifies a mutual relationship.  We delight in the Lord and He gives us our heart’s desires.

Part of delighting ourselves in the Lord is waiting on His timing.

Waiting Means Listening

Actively listening for further instructions instead of running headlong toward our idea of a solution.  We listen by reading and studying God’s word, talking to other believers, listening to the Holy Spirit during our quiet times with God.  When we get further instructions then we follow them even if the instructions are to continue waiting.

Psalm 143:8 (NLT)⁸  Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.

Waiting Means Accepting

When we wait we must accept what God is doing in our lives.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.6  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

We also need to realize while we’re waiting that God is working everything together for our good, like it says in

Romans 8:28 NLT And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Waiting means resting, listening, and accepting.  

Waiting Also Means Surrendering

Some of us may have to give up what seems like an immediate need and then resist the temptation to set our own timeline.  Surrender the timing to God.

Ecclesiastes 8:6 (NLT) for there is a time and a way for everything, even when a person is in trouble.

Waiting Means Anticipating

Our waiting is purposeful anticipation that God will accomplish His purposes for our lives.  God said that His word or His promises will always accomplish what i

He sends it to do.

Isaiah 55:10-11(NLT)10 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry.11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to,  and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

That’s the same as saying “...that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

When we rest, listen, accept, surrender, and anticipate then our waiting time is not wasted time.

Waiting Time Is Not Wasted Time

 “In life, God will always work sovereignly, strangely, and slowly.” “He will take time, but He will not waste time.”

Today we have become accustomed to things happening quickly. Fast food. Online check-ins. Call ahead seating at restaurants. One-hour photo processing. These are great conveniences but they are minor in the grand scheme of things, and they certainly haven’t helped us learn how to wait on the big things.

We’ve been praying for a new job, for healing from a dreadful disease, for a financial blessing, praying for our children to stop being knuckleheads, praying for God’s wisdom for some decision we think we need to make, and we don’t understand why it’s taking so long for Him to answer. We don’t understand why we are having to wait.

But those who want to experience an extraordinary life will learn the value of waiting on God’s timing.

Waiting time does not have to be wasted time.

Throughout the Bible we have examples of some extraordinary people who had to wait. Abraham had to wait .

God first revealed to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations when he called him to leave his country and go to the land God would show him.

Genesis 12:1-3 NLT The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

Biblical scholars believe that Abraham was 75 years old then.

Fifteen years later, when Abraham was 90, God renewed his promise.

Genesis 15:1-4 NLT Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.” But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord , what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.” Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.”

Ten years later, at age 100, Abraham and Sarah finally had their son.

Genesis 21:1-5 NLT The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would. And Abraham named their son Isaac. Eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.

That’s a total of twenty-five years

Moses had to wait in  exile 40 years before going back to Egypt to lead the Israel from slavery

Acts of the Apostles 7:23-24, 30 NLT “One day when Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his relatives, the people of Israel. He saw an Egyptian mistreating an Israelite. So Moses came to the man’s defense and avenged him, killing the Egyptian. “Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush.

And then it was more than 40 more years before Israel finished their journey to the Promise Land, unfortunately Moses was not allowed to go into Canaan.  But He did accomplish God’s purpose for him in getting Pharoah to release them and finally get them to the Promised Land.  

David, after being told that he was going to be the king had to run and hide from king Saul for something like 15 years.

1 Samuel 16:13 NLT So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.

 2 Samuel 2:1-4 NLT After this, David asked the Lord , “Should I move back to one of the towns of Judah?” “Yes,” the Lord replied. Then David asked, “Which town should I go to?” “To Hebron,” the Lord answered. David’s two wives were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. So David and his wives and his men and their families all moved to Judah, and they settled in the villages near Hebron. Then the men of Judah came to David and anointed him king over the people of Judah. When David heard that the men of Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul,

Think of old Simeon, the priest in the temple, who waited his whole life to see the promised Messiah. God had told him long before that he would not die until he had seen the Christ.

Luke 2:25-29 NLT At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised.

On that same trip to the temple there was a widow by the name of Anna who had waited a long time too.

Luke 2:36-38 NLT Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.

Jesus, when He was twelve years old amazed the people with His knowledge;

Luke 2:41-42, 45-47, 51-52 NLT Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart. Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.

But He didn't start His public ministry until He was thirty.

Luke 3:23 NLT Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry. Jesus was known as the son of Joseph. Joseph was the son of Heli.

Okay so sometime we have to wait. We said that waiting is active, it is an act of our will, it’s a decision that we have to make ourselves.  Waiting involves resting, listening, accepting, surrendering, and anticipating. 

Waiting Time Skills

Since we often have to wait there are some skills that we need to develop so that our waiting time won’t be wasted time.

1. Walk with God Daily

The path God calls us to walk is one of faith and obedience, not sight and independence.

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV)  For we walk by faith, not by sight.

God is not in the habit of revealing His entire plan for our lives all at once. If He did, we would race forward without ever feeling the need to slow down, listen to His voice, and wait on His direction. While God does not unravel His entire blueprint for our lives, He can always be trusted to reveal to us the next thing we need to do.

Usually, God only reveals as much of His plan for your life as you need today. Do not worry about what He has in store for you in the next year, the next month, or even the next day.

Matthew 6:31-34 (NLT2)³¹  “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’³²  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.³³  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.³⁴  “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

So develop the skill of walking with God daily.

2. Obey God Completely

“The Lord and I have a running argument. I constantly attempt to impress him with how much I know. He constantly seeks to impress me with how little I have obeyed.”

That’s what James had in mind when he encouraged Christians be “doers of the word”q

James 1:22-25 (NLT2)²²  But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.²³  For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.²⁴  You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.²⁵  But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

So develop the skills of walking with God daily, obeying Him completely then a third skill is to

3. Trust Him Absolutely

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT2)⁵  Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.⁶  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Tell Alexandria's story.

What about you? Are you where God wants you to be right now—even if it is in the waiting place? If so, He will provide. Not necessarily all at once, but day by day. Learn the lessons of Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus and trust the Giver of gifts more than the gifts themselves. Your waiting time will not be wasted time. 

Let's pray.  Heavenly Father teach us to wait. Develop patience in us so that our faith become perfect.  I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to encourage us to rest, listen, accept, surrender, and anticipate that you will accomplish your purpose in our lives.  I pray that, through the work of the Holy Spirit in us that we develop and and continue to improve the skills of daily walking with you, obeying you completely, and trusting you absolutely.  Then Father when you call upon us to wait, our waiting time will not be wasted time.  In Jesus Name Amen. 

Sermon Audio