Waiting is Often Difficult

The Return of Jesus
 image courtesy photobucket.com

Our Pastor Carl was not well, and I was asked to be a stand in on Sunday. I was happy to accept even though I was sad that Pastor was having physical problems. This is a portion of the message that I ministered on Sunday.

Reading from several scriptures that encourage us to Wait on the Lord.

Psalms 27:14 WAIT on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart: WAIT, I say, on the Lord.

Psalms 37:7 Rest in the Lord, and WAIT patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass.

Proverbs 20:22 Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but WAIT on the Lord, and he shall save thee.


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.

The Bible has a lot to say about waiting - - - I selected a few examples - -

Adam and Eve because of their disobedience had to leave behind all the wonders that were in the garden, but they were promised a savior. The WAIT was something their descendants would only discover many decades later.

The children of Israel because they refused to believe God, and enter into Canaan, found it necessary to WAIT 40 years before their children could enter the Promised Land.

David WAITED patiently for God’s timing until he was anointed King over Israel.

Samson WAITED until his hair grew back and his strength returned so that he could achieve a final act of deliverance over the Philistines.

Queen Esther WAITED until her people had fasted and prayed for three days and nights before she was brave enough to come before the King to plead for the lives of her people.

Jesus WAITED thirty years before He began His earthly ministry.

In the Garden Jesus WAITED and prayed asking the Father if there was another way that salvation could come about. His final plea was Not my will but thine be done.

We know the story how Jesus was taken and crucified by cruel men, and then was laid in a tomb with soldiers guarding it, to make sure no one would steal the body and falsely declare that he had risen.

The three days of WAITING after Jesus was placed in the tomb, was three days of grief and confusion. The disciples asked “How can this be?” We thought he was going to set up His kingdom now! For they misunderstood all that had happened.

When Jesus appeared to his followers after his resurrection, they still did not understand even after he had spent 40 days teaching them from the Old Testament.

Acts 1: 6-8 So when [the disciples of Jesus] met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

As Jesus stood on the mountain giving them the great commission, “Go teach and preach, and I give you authority to do so,” he ended his proclamation by saying, “Lo I am with you always even until the end of the age. “

Oh yes, some of them thought, (with misunderstanding) Jesus just said He will never leave us. He just told us that He will be with us always, so He must be going to help us set up His kingdom.  They just did not get it!

Jesus instructed them to return to Jerusalem and WAIT for the promise that would give them the authority and the power that they needed.

Act 1:4 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.

As Jesus stood on that mountain, the crowd was amazed as He began to rise in the air and a cloud received Him out of their sight. The people began to tremble and were frightened beyond belief, but what happened next caused them to understand that something bigger than they had ever thought was about to take place.

Two angels appeared to His disciples and said to them, "Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

And so we WAIT !

The book of Acts records the beginning of the Church and how the disciples went forth proclaiming the Good news. They told how Jesus was the Lamb of God who was slain so that all who believe and receive Him will be ready for heaven when He returns again.

We are waiting for His return, but we must not be idle as we WAIT.  We are to be about the Father’s business.

Searching the scriptures and learning about Jesus is one thing, but we must not just know about Him, but we must Know Him in our hearts.

Some false prophets, have set dates for the Lord’s return. There have been many embarrassed and red faces by those who predict such things.

The Bible warns us that no man knows the day or the hour because it is our Father God who will give the signal for Gabriel to blow his trumpet.

Jesus desires us to WAIT patiently for His return but he also needs us to be actively going about our day serving Him to the best of our ability.

Galatians 5:5 Until then we through the Spirit WAIT for the hope of righteousness by faith.

This post is linked to:
Deidra’s Sunday Jump Tandem
And to: Michelle’s Hear it on Sunday