PATIENT WAITING IN AN IMPATIENT WORLD! Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.

Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. James 5:7-20 KJV Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 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. Isaiah 40:28-31 KJV The Word of God has quite a bit to say about waiting. Waiting is referred to in two ways. 1. the action of remaining passive, inactive or stationary until an event, activity is done or someone or something arrives. 2. the sense of a servant attending to the needs of someone, or serving someone. The world's tendency towards a fast paced culture has eroded much if not all of our ability to wait. "I want it NOW!" is the constant cry of the masses, and sadly, it finds a resonating chord in the lives of many of God's saints. Many a child of God has allowed their heritage in the Lord to dissipate because of their anxiety. We see someone else hustling and bustling and building up their earthly possessions and become edgy, feeling that we also need to do the same. We become caught up with the effort to keep up with, or surpass the Joneses, without realizing that it's an inner envy rather than God that is driving us. We become aggressively diligent in our efforts to rise up the social ladder. We try to align ourselves with those we believe are the right people for material success. The tragic result is that we become slothful in the work of the Lord, disloyal to his Name and spiritual paupers even though the world may hail us as a success story! In Luke 12 Jesus illustrated this tragedy with the parable we refer to as the rich fool, ending it with these

words: So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Luke 12:21 KJV It is essential to wait for the Lord, and it's our duty to wait upon the Lord are reminded by His Word of our priority: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33 KJV 1. Waiting requires patience and learning to wait develops patience David said he waited all day Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Psalms 25:5 KJV David said to wait patiently Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Psalms 37:7 KJV 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. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Psalms 40:1-4 KJV David described his waiting on the Lord as a man who is sinking into a horrible miry pit of clay. However he is not giving up on his waiting. His eyes are fixed on his Lord, even as he's going down. It matters not that he is in desperate straits. He keeps his eyes expectantly on the Lord! The world may be critically condemning him but he patiently waits, with doglike devotion, his eyes is fixed on the Master, who rescues Him and sets him on solid rock. His establishment is from the LORD. Sometimes if not most times, waiting is difficult. Ask Mary and Martha, when they sent a message concerning Lazarus, to Jesus, who yet remained in the same place for a couple more days before responding. It takes patience and perseverance to wait! The mushroom springs up overnight and just as quickly passes away. It takes years for the oak to grow but its growth is strong and lasting. Spiritual growth is not an overnight happening. It is a constant diligent process. David said to wait ONLY on the Lord! My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah. Psalms 62:5-8 KJV We should not allow ourselves to be side tracked from is purpose however legitimate it may seem. Abraham in a hurry to achieve what God had promised made a fleshly mess of it, with far reaching consequences that remain to this day! Moses in patriotic zeal rushed out to be the deliverer of Israel. He did not wait on Yahweh for His plan and strategy. The result? Moses had to hide and wait until he became passive. Fleshly impatience can precipitate unexpected backlash. Saul could not wait for Samuel and presumed to act on his own initiative in offering . He destroyed his heritage as a result!

2. We should wait with longing and expectation as for the sun to rise up on a brand new day! I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Psalms 130:5-6 KJV When we are in the nighttime of our lives, we long for the advent of some light to dispel the darkness. In similar manner our soul should wait on the Lord for with Him comes Light! 3. Those who wait for the Lord will not be ashamed! And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. Isaiah 49:23 KJV 4. Those who wait for the Lord will inherit the earth! For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. Psalms 37:9 KJV Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. Psalms 37:34 KJV 5. It's a good thing to wait on the Lord and the Lord is good to those who wait for Him! The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Lamentations 3:24-27 KJV 6. We should learn to wait with diligent watchfulness, lest we miss the timing of the Master! Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. Luke 12:32-40 KJV And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself,

neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. Luke 12:42-48 KJV I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Habakkuk 2:1-3 KJV And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. Acts 1:4-5 KJV 7. Waiting on the Lord also carries the sense of a servant waiting on the master or mistress of the house. Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us. Psalms 123:1-2 KJV A good and faithful servant will be diligent, and have eyes constantly on the Master, in order to anticipate every gesture or glance in an effort to fulfill His wish and command. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalms 27:14 KJV Remember! Waiting on the Lord is NEVER a vain thing, whether we are waiting for Him to act on our behalf, or we are waiting in our service to Him! Many find themselves actively involved in ministry in the church, sometimes with an overloaded agenda. Why is it that when we become overloaded or burdened, the first thing that we let go is our involvement with God, and the ministry? Why is it that when our life seems overwhelmed, the first thing we drop as baggage, is service to the Lord? Remember you cannot work in the ministry of the Spirit with the strength of the flesh and effort of the mind. That is a prescription for spiritual exhaustion and burn out. If we spend time laboring, and do not spend time in His presence, we are creating crisis in our lives. Prayer is for our benefit not God's! Failure to spend time in prayer and waiting on Him is failure to tap into the most awesome source of power beyond even our wildest imagination. Hudson Taylor said "Do not work so hard for Christ that you have no strength to pray, for prayer requires strength." I hasten to add also, that STRENGTH REQUIRES PRAYER! "Remember 7 days without prayer makes one weak!" Anon Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 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. Isaiah 40:28-31 KJV