| "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, | | | | reason why we should trust God, and also seek what |
| and heard my cry. | | | | God is trying to teach us in the midst of the trial. |
| 2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of | | | | 2. God will bring you out - |
| the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and | | | | 2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of |
| established my goings. | | | | the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and |
| 3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even | | | | established my goings. |
| praise unto our God; many shall see it, and fear, and | | | | (Hebrew - a pit of noise - the pit often is noisy, it may |
| shall trust in the Lord." Psalm 40:1-3 | | | | be hard to find peace during this time of waiting.) |
| This is a Psalm of David and it talks about God's care | | | | After waiting on God, God lifted David out of his |
| of the poor and those who have waited on Him. | | | | despair and set his feet on a rock, a firm foundation |
| We will talk here about those who wait on the Lord | | | | and established his goings. After waiting 14 years, he |
| and the meaning of redemption. Redeem means to | | | | took his place as king. |
| set free, rescue or ransom, to save from a state of | | | | Psalm 69:2:14 states - "Deliver me out of the mire, and |
| sinfulness and its consequences, to make up for. | | | | let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that |
| There are three points I will cover that address waiting | | | | hate me, and out of the deep waters". A lot of times |
| on God and the aftermath and purpose of waiting - | | | | this 'mire' may be of our own making, such as financial |
| 1. Waiting patiently- | | | | messes, family discord, or relationship issues. At other |
| "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, | | | | times it may be part of what God is taking us through |
| and heard my cry." | | | | to make us more like His Son. The operative word is |
| Waiting patiently for the Lord - (Hebrew - in waiting, I | | | | 'through'. He will deliver us out of and 'through' the |
| waited) many times blessings cannot be received | | | | messes. |
| unless we go 'through' the trial of waiting. | | | | Even while we are in this 'mire' He will keep us safe - |
| Psalm 27:15, 14 states - "I had fainted, unless I had | | | | Psalm 27:5 "For in the day of trouble he will keep me |
| believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land | | | | safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his |
| of the living. 14. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, | | | | tabernacle and set me high upon a rock." |
| and he shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the | | | | This should also encourage us, remember what He |
| Lord." | | | | has done in the past. As I researched this message, I |
| The land of the living means now. David was going | | | | looked through one of my older Bibles, and next to this |
| through a trial, but he was still confident that God would | | | | passage I have listed prayers from 13 years ago, |
| see him through the trial in this life. | | | | which included prayers for success in grad school, with |
| David knew what it was to wait for God. He was | | | | my classes, and internship, prayers for a job, and for |
| anointed king when he was 16 years old, but he didn't | | | | my children, etc. a multitude of prayers, and you know |
| actually serve as king until he was 30. David had to | | | | each of those prayers were answered. |
| wait on God for the fulfillment of God's promise for | | | | 3. God gave me a new song |
| him to reign as King. During this time he was chased | | | | God put a new song of praise in David's mouth. |
| through the desert by King Saul. Now Saul also had a | | | | Psalm 33:3 "Sing unto him a new song: play skillfully |
| lesson in waiting on the Lord, which he failed. Saul had | | | | with a loud noise." David was a skillful musician and |
| to learn that obedience was better than sacrifice; this | | | | often commissioned music for temple worship |
| was after he disobeyed God and then tried to make | | | | (1Chronicles 25) |
| up for it by offering a sacrifice. Obedience is very | | | | Fifteen years ago, I had an operation on my thyroid; |
| important to God. | | | | the surgeon thought it was cancer. After the operation, |
| I also know from experience that waiting for God is | | | | they sent the tissue sample to the hospital lab, they |
| not easy. A pastor from my home church use to say | | | | couldn't determine if it was cancerous, so they sent it |
| "...God does not have to do anything by Friday". I've | | | | to a cancer lab on the east coast, and then a lab on |
| had situations, usually involving paying a bill by a | | | | the west coast, but they also couldn't determine if it |
| promise date or a date set up by Bell South or | | | | was cancerous. During this time I prayed - 'Lord I don't |
| Georgia Power, and I've prayed and asked God to | | | | want to have cancer, or even recover from cancer, |
| please send me the money by that date. But God is | | | | not now'. I knew that God had plans for my life and at |
| God, the God of the universe, the Creator of heaven | | | | the time I had seven children in my home, while I |
| and earth; Omnipresent, Omnipotent God - He does | | | | worked full time, there were things that I had to do. I |
| not work by man's time tables. He "...does not have to | | | | felt the hand of God on my life. I trusted God, not the |
| do anything by Friday". | | | | surgeon, I listened to God. I sold everything I had, left |
| Sometimes it seems as if He is not going to answer or | | | | family and friends and everything I knew and every |
| does not hear us, or He does not understand the | | | | support, and took my children and moved across the |
| urgency of our situations. Lamentations 3:22-26 shows | | | | country to start a new life once I decided to totally |
| us to hope and wait for the Lord because often God | | | | follow and trust God. When we trust God we give Him |
| uses waiting to refresh, renew and teach us. Jeremiah | | | | space to work in our lives, it becomes not our will, but |
| knew from past experience about God's faithfulness, | | | | His Will be done. I could never have imagined what He |
| and that He would keep His promises. This is one | | | | would do in my life. |