Patiently Resting and Trusting

“Patiently Resting and Trusting”

Psalm 27:14; 59:9-10; 62:1-2; Isa. 40:31; John 11

                                                            

SUBJECT: GOD’S STRENGTH IN FRUSTRATIONS. 

THEME: You Can Overcome the Frustrations by the Wisdom and Strength of the Lord.  

RELEVANCE: Why is this important to us? We need to understand the source of our frustrations is Satan (these are spiritual battles) and trust the Lord to help us overcome these hindrances. God prescribes specific practices to escape the trap of impatience like patience, rest, and trust. 

INTRODUCTION: 

God wants us to actively participate in the work he desires to accomplish. Waiting strategically can cultivate good fruit in our lives such as patience, perseverance, and endurance. It also draws us closer to our Savior and points those who are watching us to the gospel.

MESSAGE:

FRUSTRATION COULD BE ROOTED IN IMPATIENT ATTITUDES

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

 A.  ARE YOU RUNNING AHEAD OF GOD?

B.  WAITING ON GOD BUILDS ADVANTAGES AND PATIENCE.

C.  WAITING ON GOD IS A CHOICE TO PATIENTLY REST IN HIS PLAN.

Again, the disadvantages of getting ahead of God are evident. Peter was notorious for trying to get ahead of God's plan, even to the slicing off of a man's ear in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Jesus, on the other hand, never showed up too early or too late. He always arrived right on time, in keeping with what the Father was doing. Learning to wait on God's timing is one of the hallmarks of the maturity. 

Psalm 59:9-10, Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence. [10] The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.

Psalm 62:1-2, To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David.  Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. [2] He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.

The Lord doesn't catapult us into greatness; He grows us into spiritual maturity.

He stretches us slowly so that we don't break.

He expands our vision slowly so that we can take in all of the details of what He desires to accomplish.

He causes us to grow slowly so that we stay balanced.

The unfolding of God's plan for your life is a lifelong process. Relax in His presence and allow Him to lead the journey and do His work in you. (Dr. C. Stanley)

D. WAITING ON GOD IS AN ACT OF TRUST AND FAITH.

Waiting on God is not passive idleness, but a positive, active posture of trust, hope, and faithful endurance. Waiting with confident expectations are never put to shame and ultimately receive divine strength, justice, and deliverance.

1. King David Patiently Waiting on God While Trusting Him (Psalm 40:1-3)

a.      David details an agonizing season of waiting, often associated with his flight from King Saul. He emphasizes that this is not wasted time but a period where God hears prayers and prepares a firm foundation.

b.     Psalm 40:1-2, I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. 

2. The Prophet Isaiah Waited on God’s Promise with Solid Confidence (Isaiah 40:31)

a.      Isaiah provides the ultimate promise for waiting on God, teaching that divine waiting exchanges our weariness for God’s supernatural strength.

b.     Isaiah 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.

Perhaps waiting on God feels impractical because we perceive a different outcome than God does…we want something quite different from what God has in mind. Sometimes we are guilty of wanting things far too small when God is thinking much bigger, grander, and strategically. Further, our expectations may even be more focused on ourselves and not necessarily the broader plan of God.

This kind of thing happen repeatedly in the Bible, but it was especially punctuated in John 11 with the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. Often, we impose our limitations on God restricting Him to fit into our expectations, when God is not limited like that at all. Our need for Him and the opportunity to transcend normal is presented through life’s challenges, but few seldom realize the opportunities to trust Him and surpass the limitations of our experience. It is true death, the grave, and the stench of death are very real limitations we cannot overcome no matter how sincere we are. It is also true that we allow ourselves to ‘think’ within the confines of those limits and we don’t even consider possibilities beyond them…. We err when we impose those same limits onto God only expecting or even requiring Him to operate within our ‘level’ of comprehension. He is NOT obligated to function that way, and further He really knows where He is doing with each opportunity. He has a strategic plan!

It is precisely at this juncture we feel acutely the frustrations not realizing God is itching to introduce something mind-blowing and life changing! Jesus requires ‘faith’—believing Him to realize the greater realities! Sometimes we are so consumed with the past… ‘what we perceived should have been’, we haven’t even entertained future possibilities yet. We would have been happy with a ‘healing’, but God wants a ‘resurrection!’ We may envision the local impact of a ‘resurrection’ miracle but not yet perceive the farther-reaching impact of such a testimony for future disciples. We can influence a ‘healing’ with our prayers, but only God can work His divine plan for our future. The first instance courts our pride, but the second option illuminates the ‘grace’ of God!

You and I must trust Him to do the impossible…He knows no such limitations. We must stop thinking too small…too selfishly; start living by ‘faith’ in God’s limitless power and strategic plan. We will experience far less frustration when we do.

CONCLUSION: 

The Lord will do whatever it takes to prod us toward His higher places. He'll make us restless with where we are if it is time for us to move on. He'll cause us to hunger and thirst for more of Him. He'll plant within us a desire for things we never dreamed of desiring in our relationship with Him.

Trust God with all of the circumstances, relationships, and schedules in your life. Rest in Him. He desires to be your strong and sure haven in all times of frustration. (Dr. C. Stanley)

Exodus 20:8-11, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. [9] Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: [10] But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: [11] For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Mark 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

However, these difficult periods are meant to build endurance and draw us closer to God rather than just being empty time.

When the wait feels overwhelming, these perspectives and practices can help make the season a bit more manageable. When the future is unclear, focus on what you know to be true about God's character rather than what you don't know about your life. Instead of just being passive, you can channel this time into prayer, writing down what you are grateful for, and resting in the present.

Are you currently waiting for direction in a specific area of your life, or are you just looking for encouragement to help you get through today?