The next sermon in the series of sermons on the ABC of faith

I referred to this series also in an earlier blogpost (31 January) It is a series of sermons, whereby I have allocated an active verb to each letter of the alphabet, a do-word, to show that what we confess we must also live. The series started with the letter 'A', to which I allocated the word 'Amen', starting with God's promises, which are all Yes and Amen in Jesus Christ ( 2 Cor. 1 : 20). However, having this security in Christ we must now also live our faith, walk with the LORD each day.

I started this series in February 2010. Due to all kind of circumstances it has taken a while to finish it. I am up to the letter 'W', to which I have allocated the active verb 'to wait', to wait for the LORD. In January, I wrote that the text would be Isaiah 30 : 18. Yet I changed this and have now chosen Psalm 27 : 14.

Here is a bit of a preview of what, the LORD willing, I hope to deal with coming Sunday.

The English dictionary gives the following definition of the verb ‘to wait’: it is ‘to stay in one place or remain inactive in expectation of something’. To remain inactive, just wait – how hard this can be under certain circumstances, or even in general, when the pressure is on. To wait patiently – this is not something that runs in our blood. Especially in today’s climate, everything has to happen quickly. We want quick solutions to our problems. Life is hectic, therefore we can’t wait and in cases we have to it often causes a lot of stress.

It’s a picture of the life we live in today’s hectic society: a rushed life with little or no time for quiet moments. I am afraid that at times this starts to affect also our relationship with God, to the extent that we find it hard ‘to wait for the LORD’, to wait patiently, firmly believing that the LORD will provide in His time, will answer also our prayers, yet again in His time.

In His time – oftentimes this is difficult for us to accept. The result can be that we start to despair or even worse rebel and give up on the LORD. We have prayed so fervently and yet there seems to be no change. Why does God not act, e.g. in cases where children have walked away from the LORD? We pray and pray, but there remains a hardening of the heart. Why, O LORD? As regards other examples, I think of childless couples, who dearly love to have children or others who have only one child and would love to have more children, or single persons who like to get married, but don’t see their heart’s desire fulfilled. Do all these prayers go unheard? We struggle, at times finding it hard to cope.

It because of these struggles and other struggles as well, which many people in the congregation face, that I have chosen the verb ‘to wait’, to wait for the LORD.  By waiting for Him, the LORD will teach us: give it to Me, wait for Me, stop worrying, instead entrust the cause of your life with all the worries there are – entrust it to Me. Only then, you will receive strength to be able cope and only then, you will receive also inward peace. Wait for Me!