Please permit me to share with you some notes I had taken from the program I heard from Dr. Stanley.
God's role in our waiting
As we wait was does God do? The Lord heals, comforts, teaches, and empowers us. He encourages us, answers our prayers, and gives us peace. (Phil 4:6-7)
What does it mean to wait on the Lord? First it requires patience. While waiting, we need to listen for further instruction instead of acting on our own and rush into something without God's instruction. While we wait, this requires to calmly accept what the Lord is doing in our current lives. Then, which is a daily challenge for me, we must trust Him to fulfill His will for us.
Depending on the Father instead of taking action can be difficult. Here are are a few verses from the bible that address waiting on Our Lord. Psalm 27:14 "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (NIV) When we obey Him, we never have to worry about what others think of us. Reliance on God protects us from experiencing shame. Psalm 25:3 "No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse." (NIV) Notice one thing, that resting in the Lord is not an passive act, but active - you and I are commanded to wait patiently for Him. Psalm 37:7 "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." As a result of faithfully surrendering to His timing, we can expect His very best. Psalm 37:34 "Don't be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep traveling steadily along His pathway and in due season He will honor you with every blessing." (The Living Bible).
What does it mean to wait on the Lord? First it requires patience. While waiting, we need to listen for further instruction instead of acting on our own and rush into something without God's instruction. While we wait, this requires to calmly accept what the Lord is doing in our current lives. Then, which is a daily challenge for me, we must trust Him to fulfill His will for us.
Depending on the Father instead of taking action can be difficult. Here are are a few verses from the bible that address waiting on Our Lord. Psalm 27:14 "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (NIV) When we obey Him, we never have to worry about what others think of us. Reliance on God protects us from experiencing shame. Psalm 25:3 "No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse." (NIV) Notice one thing, that resting in the Lord is not an passive act, but active - you and I are commanded to wait patiently for Him. Psalm 37:7 "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." As a result of faithfully surrendering to His timing, we can expect His very best. Psalm 37:34 "Don't be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep traveling steadily along His pathway and in due season He will honor you with every blessing." (The Living Bible).
Why should we or Why do we have to wait?
God is..
Arranging our circumstances. The Israelites marched around Jericho many times prior to attacking the city. Anxiety and fear crippled the enemy, preparing the way for victory. David was selected as the next king of Israel years before he took the throne. But he waited on God's timing and refused to take the life of Saul, the Lord's anointed leader.
Purifying our motives. Instead of acting out of lust, greed, or pride, we should be stirred by love, service, and obedience. When our motivations are not right, God will often wait to bless us.
Teaching us to rely on Him. If every prayer were answered immediately, we might never learn to trust God. That is why sometimes He promises to provide, then asks us to wait.
Protecting us from any unseen danger. The Father sees and knows all things, and knows what is best for each of us. Those who rush ahead of Him run into unexpected difficulties. Essentially, by doing so, we are telling God we know best and we always end up with second best. If we would only patiently wait for his time, we can receive and expect his Best.
Preparing us to make the greatest impact on others. When you and I choose to wait on God's provision, our lives can be awesome testimonies of His faithfulness.
At this time, you are most likely thinking...What are my choices?
Whenever God asks us to wait on Him, we have three options.
One...is to manipulate circumstances. Doing this will forfeit the Lord's best and may even result in disaster.
Secondly...you and I can walk away from Him. Basically meaning, we can allow disappointment to destroy our relationship with the Father.
Thirdly...is to wait on the Lord, watch Him work, and reap the reward. Whenever God calls us to a season of rest, we can either work against His purpose for our lives or decide to surrender to His will.
Alright, I get that, now what are the requirements on waiting on God? Actually there are four specific qualities.
First...faith. It is easy to trust Him when life is going good and all is well in our lives. But, can we rely on Him when things get difficult?
Secondly...Waiting on the Lord requires patience. We must set aside our own agendas and allow Him to work.
Thirdly...we need humility. Prideful people often disobey God; they might believe their plans are better than His or worry too much about what others will think.
Fourthly...we must have courage. There are three ways courageousness plays a role: we need it to resist the temptation to do it our way, to disregard negative peer pressure, and to stand firm against the fear of failure. It takes determination to wait for God to work when nothing seems to be happening.
Now that we know what are choices and requirements are, we need now to what are the Consequences of NOT waiting on Our Lord.
Their are four consequences we need to know.
1. You and I will be disappointed. Regardless of how wonderful your plans seem in comparison with anticipating God's best, disobeying Him ultimately leads to disappointment.
2. We will step outside of the Lord's will. By manipulating circumstances instead of depending on God, we find ourselves in a dangerous place outside His perfect plan for our lives.
3. God can not give us His best. Why would anyone want the Father's second choice for our lives? Yet, that is exactly what we get when we fail to wait on Him.
4. We bring hurt, pressure, and suffering on ourselves. Although following God's will is no guarantee that everything will go perfectly, resisting Him always has negative consequences.
5. Others are hurt. Disobeying the Lord usually results in harm to others. Selfishness, addictions, and outright rebellion affect those around us.
Briefly, in conclusion.
Believers often grow impatient while waiting on God to work. We believe the lie that He is unaware of our struggles or will fail to deliver us. Acting on human wisdom, you and I rush ahead of our heavenly Father.
I pray that we, including myself, learn to anticipate His answer - and do it joyfully. Why? God's Word says that He acts on behalf of those who trust in Him. No, he does not promise to give us all we want. But when you and I watch for His provision, it will come - every time - at His time.
Arranging our circumstances. The Israelites marched around Jericho many times prior to attacking the city. Anxiety and fear crippled the enemy, preparing the way for victory. David was selected as the next king of Israel years before he took the throne. But he waited on God's timing and refused to take the life of Saul, the Lord's anointed leader.
Purifying our motives. Instead of acting out of lust, greed, or pride, we should be stirred by love, service, and obedience. When our motivations are not right, God will often wait to bless us.
Teaching us to rely on Him. If every prayer were answered immediately, we might never learn to trust God. That is why sometimes He promises to provide, then asks us to wait.
Protecting us from any unseen danger. The Father sees and knows all things, and knows what is best for each of us. Those who rush ahead of Him run into unexpected difficulties. Essentially, by doing so, we are telling God we know best and we always end up with second best. If we would only patiently wait for his time, we can receive and expect his Best.
Preparing us to make the greatest impact on others. When you and I choose to wait on God's provision, our lives can be awesome testimonies of His faithfulness.
At this time, you are most likely thinking...What are my choices?
Whenever God asks us to wait on Him, we have three options.
One...is to manipulate circumstances. Doing this will forfeit the Lord's best and may even result in disaster.
Secondly...you and I can walk away from Him. Basically meaning, we can allow disappointment to destroy our relationship with the Father.
Thirdly...is to wait on the Lord, watch Him work, and reap the reward. Whenever God calls us to a season of rest, we can either work against His purpose for our lives or decide to surrender to His will.
Alright, I get that, now what are the requirements on waiting on God? Actually there are four specific qualities.
First...faith. It is easy to trust Him when life is going good and all is well in our lives. But, can we rely on Him when things get difficult?
Secondly...Waiting on the Lord requires patience. We must set aside our own agendas and allow Him to work.
Thirdly...we need humility. Prideful people often disobey God; they might believe their plans are better than His or worry too much about what others will think.
Fourthly...we must have courage. There are three ways courageousness plays a role: we need it to resist the temptation to do it our way, to disregard negative peer pressure, and to stand firm against the fear of failure. It takes determination to wait for God to work when nothing seems to be happening.
Now that we know what are choices and requirements are, we need now to what are the Consequences of NOT waiting on Our Lord.
Their are four consequences we need to know.
1. You and I will be disappointed. Regardless of how wonderful your plans seem in comparison with anticipating God's best, disobeying Him ultimately leads to disappointment.
2. We will step outside of the Lord's will. By manipulating circumstances instead of depending on God, we find ourselves in a dangerous place outside His perfect plan for our lives.
3. God can not give us His best. Why would anyone want the Father's second choice for our lives? Yet, that is exactly what we get when we fail to wait on Him.
4. We bring hurt, pressure, and suffering on ourselves. Although following God's will is no guarantee that everything will go perfectly, resisting Him always has negative consequences.
5. Others are hurt. Disobeying the Lord usually results in harm to others. Selfishness, addictions, and outright rebellion affect those around us.
Briefly, in conclusion.
Believers often grow impatient while waiting on God to work. We believe the lie that He is unaware of our struggles or will fail to deliver us. Acting on human wisdom, you and I rush ahead of our heavenly Father.
I pray that we, including myself, learn to anticipate His answer - and do it joyfully. Why? God's Word says that He acts on behalf of those who trust in Him. No, he does not promise to give us all we want. But when you and I watch for His provision, it will come - every time - at His time.
No comments:
Post a Comment