Oakwood Community Church

Heart Issue: “Is God worth waiting for?”

Big Idea: In the midst of confusion, chaos, or conflict, Christians must wait on the Lord.

“How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? They only plan to trust him down from his high position.”
Psalm 62:3-4

“For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.”
Psalm 62:1

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”
Psalm 62:5

“Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Exodus 14:13-14

“Wait on the Lord”
To continue in confident expectation that God will do what only He can do

How do Christians wait on the Lord?

1. Trust in God because He alone saves us.

Psalm 62:1,2,5,6
1 “For God alone my soul waits.”
2 “He alone is my rock and my salvation.”
5 “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence.”
6 “He only is my rock and my salvation.”

“His word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.”
Psalm 119:105

Temptation
• To trust in ourselves to solve God’s problems
• To willingly strive in our strength to save ourselves

“I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand,
I shall not be shaken.”
Psalm 16:8

How do Christians wait on the Lord?

2. Rest in God because He alone encourages us.

“On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.”
Psalm 62:7

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”
Psalm 62:5

Temptation

• To impatiently turn to another form of lesser encouragement

“What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like the morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away.”
Hosea 6:4

“Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him!”
Psalm 62:8

“Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”
Hosea 6:3

“Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.”
James 4:8

How do Christians wait on the Lord?

3. Delight in God because He alone rewards us.

“Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. ”
Psalm 62:9

“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.”
I Timothy 6:17

“Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.”
Isaiah 40:15

Temptation

• To greedily accept lesser rewards immediately before us

“Waiting is often reduced to a cost-reward ratio: Do we consider what we’re waiting for to be worth the time spent doing so?”