WAITING ON GOD’S TIMING? BUT WHO LIKES WAITING?

Waiting can create a raging storm within. In our minds, it can brew anxieties and fears that are almost impossible to quench. Yet God asks us to wait. How do we silence the raging storm of doubt and fear within us while waiting?

We have reached the end of our 13 weeks on the study of the Book of Psalms. If you have not viewed the other videos in this series, go back and review them @ SabbathSchooldaily.com. 

This week, we are looking at Psalm 5, Psalm 27, Psalm 30, Psalm 39, Psalm 40, Psalm 49, Psalm 59, Psalm 69, Psalm 92, Psalm 119, Psalm 126, and Psalm 131.

The Psalms are prayers in the form of poetry and songs. They are designed to show us how to live, worship, trust, and depend on God.

This lesson addresses the outcome of waiting and what we can do to calm the raging storm within while waiting for God to fulfill his promises. But, before we begin, as always, Let’s Pray.

Father, we ask for your intervention. You have promised that you will never leave us or forsake us. You have said you will supply all our needs. But sometimes you ask us to wait. Teach us patience and what it means to wait rather than take matters into our own hands. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Psalms (Lesson 13)

Wait on the Lord

Day 1

“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14, NKJV).

We have learned many wonderful truths about God, our Creator, our King, and our Judge. In the Psalms, we discover that God delivers us, forgives us, and saves us from sin. Knowing this fills our hearts with joy as we anticipate Jesus’ return to rescue us from a dying world. Thus, in our final study from the Book of Psalms, we examine what it means to wait on the Lord.

What does it mean to wait on the Lord? Does waiting mean sitting around doing nothing? Of course not! Waiting involves action encircled by faith, hope, and trust.

In fact, while waiting for the Lord, our hearts should be filled with joy, peace, faith, hope, and trust, even when times are hard.

This is the point the psalmist makes when he says in Psalm 30:5

5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)

He makes this same point in  Psalm 143:8, saying,

8 Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul. (Psalm 143:8)

Though waiting is not comfortable, it builds our hope and trust in God. As we experience God keeping his promises after periods of waiting, it strengthens our hearts with renewed hope, trust, and peace.

Thus, we are motivated and inspired to diligently work to fulfill God’s mission to labor in the harvest and bring others to Christ, as proclaimed in Psalm 126:6 and Matthew 9:36-38.

Psalms 126:6

6 He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalms 126:6)

Matthew 9:36-38

36 Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.

37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

38 Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:36-38)

When we depend on others to keep their promises, we can be ashamed when they fail to deliver.

But not with God. God is faithful, and He always keeps his promises. We just need to learn how to wait so that we don’t mess things up.

This is the point that the psalmist makes in the following verses in the Psalms:

Psalms 37:7-11, 18, and 34

7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.

9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth.

10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more.

11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

18 The Lord knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever.

34 Wait on the Lord, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. (Psalms 37:7-11, 18 and 34)

Psalms 71:1

1 In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame. (Psalms 71:1) (Split)

and

Psalms 119:137-138

137 Righteous are You, O Lord, And upright are Your judgments. 138 Your testimonies, which You have commanded, Are righteous and very faithful. (Psalms 119:137-138)

 So, we can be sure that God will richly reward us for waiting for Him because he is faithful, and yes, He always keeps his promises.

But no one finds pleasure in waiting. Waiting is stressful. What does it mean to wait on God, and what is the secret to waiting on Him?

Pause and read Psalm 27:14, Psalm 37:7, 9, 34, Psalm 39:7, Psalm 40:1, and Psalm 69:6. What do they encourage us to do?

Then view the next segment of this video: Day 2: The Call of Waiting

Psalms (Lesson 13)

Wait on the Lord

Day 2: The Call of Waiting

For many of us, waiting is one of our greatest stresses. Regardless of who we are, where we live, or our station in life, at times, we must wait.

Although we may not like it, and it may even feel uncomfortable, at times, we all have had to wait for something or someone. We waited in line at the store. We wait for a delivery of a purchase made online, or we wait to hear news from our doctor about a health issue.

Should it be any different from waiting for God to keep his promises? The issue of waiting on God is not just in the Psalms but it is threaded throughout the Bible.

What is the secret to waiting for God? The key to waiting is perseverance. The lesson study describes perseverance as our supreme commitment of refusing to yield to our fears of disappointment that God will not keep His promises or come through for us.

As children of God, we wait with certainty, knowing that God is faithful and always keeps his promises.

We can trust Him with all our problems, and we can be sure He will work things out in our best interest, even when it seems impossible.

Waiting for the Lord is more than hanging in there. It is a longing for God.

In Psalm 63:1, the psalmist describes it as an intense thirst in a dry land.

1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. (Psalms 63:1)

In other words, waiting for the Lord is about wanting God Himself. We want not only the promised gift but also to be with the giver.

Thus, the psalmist longs to feel close to God in his heart. In fact, he sees his relationship with God as more important than anything he ever needs or desires in life.

In Romans 8:19, Paul writes that the entire creation eagerly awaits the meeting of God and His people at Jesus’ second coming.

19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19).

Is this not an incredible promise? But we must wait for its fulfillment.

In the meantime, God promises to be with us through the Holy Spirit.

The charge to the early believers in Acts 1:4-8 applies to us. While waiting, we are to be His witnesses, telling of God’s plan to save those who accept His son, letting them know that his plan to save us will culminate in Jesus’ second coming. He will also make the earth brand new.

For Seventh-day Adventists, the name Adventist proclaims the idea of the hope we wait for. We wait, believing that God will reward our waiting. Our surety of His second coming is found in Christ’s death and resurrection, which occurred at His first coming.

What are somethings you are waiting for now from God? How are you doing while holding on even though what you are praying for has not come yet? What might be the reason for God’s delay? 

Pause and Read: Psalm 131. What does it say about maturity as it relates to waiting?

Then, view the next segment of this video, Day 3: Peace of a Weaned Child.

Psalms (Lesson 13)

Wait on the Lord

Day 3: Peace of a Weaned Child

We live in a world filled with sin and suffering.  Look around, and you see temptation, wickedness, and evil everywhere. It appears we cannot escape it. The psalmist wrote Psalm 131 to understand this unpleasant reality. That is why he finds it refreshing when he remembers that he is God’s child.

He recognizes that he must totally depend on God for everything in life, which leads him to desire to empty his heart of all pride.

Thus, he confesses that pride is worthless and deceitful. Pride causes us to become self-centered, consumed in thinking only about ourselves.

A heart filled with pride is blind to the reality that they need God. (Split)

In contrast, the psalmist in Psalm 123:1, 2 helps us see that the children of God, those who seek righteousness, look to God in humility of heart.

1 Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens.

2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the Lord our God, Until He has mercy on us. (Psalm 123:1, 2)

When we see and acknowledge God’s greatness, we become humble. We put aside self-seeking and our selfish ambitions.

The Psalmist makes this point in Psalm 131:1. He says that his heart is not proud, nor are his eyes conceited or arrogant.

He confesses that he does not concern himself with “great matters” and “things too high.”

His use of the expressions “great matters” and “things too high” acknowledges that only God does great things and that only God’s work is profound.

In other words, God’s work is beyond our comprehension. Even today, in modern science, we see that the “simplest” things can be extremely complex and far beyond our understanding.

It seems that the more we learn about the physical world, the more obscure it becomes and the more we realize how vast the universe really is.

Thus, in Psalm 131:2, the psalmist expresses that he feels “like a weaned child with [its] mother” (Psalm 131:2).

He compares the calmness he feels in God’s quiet embrace with that of a child with his mother at the different stages of his life.

He says,

2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me. (Psalm 131:2).

This is a powerful picture of God. It helps us see that God’s love fills us with the same trust that a child has in the comfort and peace of their mother’s arms.

This trust comes from faith. When our faith is tested, we grow spiritually. Our faith increases, and we grow strong in the Lord.

During suffering and hard times, we learn that we can trust God because we have seen from past experiences that God always keeps His promises.

As we are weaned from selfish ambitions and pride, God introduces us to the solid food Jesus spoke of in John 4:34 when he said: 

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. (John 4:34)

Hebrews. 5:12-14 helps us understand the value of transitioning to solid food.

Hebrews 5:12-14

12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.

14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:12-14)

When we mature and are able to endure solid food, we develop the skill of waiting.

Thus, the childlike trust depicted in Psalm 131 is mature faith. It is faith that has been tested and tried. It has gone through the hardships of life and has found God to be faithful and true to His Word.

Notice that the psalmist doesn’t end his poem with thoughts about himself. He ends it with thoughts about the comfort and security of God’s people.

His attention to the people of God is what God wants for his people today. He wants us to use our experience with Him to help strengthen and encourage His people.

This means that we share our personal experiences of God with others. We tell them the things we learned about Him through our experiences with Him. The stories, telling of our experiences about God’s faithfulness and goodness toward us in good times and bad times, can help encourage others to grow strong as they wait on the Lord.

Jesus’ statement in Matthews. 18:3 “‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven’ ” (Matthews. 18:3 NKJV).

Demonstrates our need to be born again, but as expressed in Sons and Daughters of God:

“ We are not always to remain children in our knowledge and experience in spiritual things. We are not always to express ourselves in the language of one who has just received Christ; but our prayers and exhortations are to grow in intelligence as we advance in experience in the truth. . . .”

We should not be inactive while waiting. Our activity improves our growth and development. What does God expect us to do while waiting?

Pause and Read Psalm 126. Then continue to Day 4:  Bringing in the Sheaves

Psalms (Lesson 13)

Wait on the Lord

Day 4: Bring in the Sheaves

When we reflect on the Lord’s miraculous deliverances in the past, it gives us hope for the future. God’s interventions in the past can be, as Isaiah describes in Isaiah 29:7-8, “a dream of a night vision.”

7 The multitude of all the nations who fight against Ariel, Even all who fight against her and her fortress, And distress her, Shall be as a dream of a night vision.

8 It shall even be as when a hungry man dreams, And look—he eats; But he awakes, and his soul is still empty; Or as when a thirsty man dreams, And look—he drinks; But he awakes, and indeed he is faint, And his soul still craves: So the multitude of all the nations shall be, Who fight against Mount Zion.” (Isaiah 29:7-8)

But instead of a dream deferred, it is a dream-come-true experience.

In Psalm 126:1, the people praise the Lord for saving Israel in the past. Also, in Psalm 126:4, these same people are in captivity.

Nevertheless, when they remember what God has done for them in the past, they have hope for the future, even in hard times.

Thus, in Psalm 126:4, the people pray,

4 Bring back our captivity, O Lord, As the streams in the South. (Psalm 126:4).

The lesson study points out that the image of “the streams in the south” found in Psalm 126:4 is a metaphor for God’s acting suddenly and powerfully on behalf of His people. The very south of Judah was an arid desert region. The streams were formed suddenly and filled with rushing waters after heavy rainfalls during the rainy season. The early and late rains played a crucial role in the success of the agricultural year, as expressed in Deuteronomy. 11:14 and Deuteronomy 28:12.

Thus, the psalmist in Psalm 126:5, 6 uses the image of planting seeds. He expresses that they sow seeds in tears but reap in joy.

5 Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy.

6 He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him.  (Psalm 126:5, 6).

This image shows us a powerful promise that God will lead His people from a difficult present to a happy future.

Harvest is an image often used to help the Israelites understand an important spiritual lesson. The people worked hard planting seeds and plowing their fields, orchards, and vineyards, and just as they took care of them, at the end of the growing season, they enjoyed a harvest of plenty.

Exodus 34:22, 26 tells us that at the end of the harvest season, ancient Israel traveled to the temple in Jerusalem to thank God for an abundant harvest.

Just as the hard labor of sowing and caring for fields, orchards, and vineyards are rewarded with the joy of a plentiful harvest, we will be crowned with the joy of salvation at the end of time for our present hardship and trials.

When we work hard for God’s kingdom in the present, our sufferings and hard times will be rewarded.

At the end of time, God will give us the crown of life, and our hearts will be filled with joy.

Thus, Jesus’s Second Coming will be a great harvest time. After this harvest, Jesus will establish His everlasting kingdom on this earth, as expressed in Amos 9:13-15 and Matthew 9:37.

But we must, in the meantime, wait on the Lord. Just as we must wait for crops to grow and produce a harvest, we must wait to see all the marvelous things that will result from the work we do for God.

Think about times when you clearly and unmistakably saw the Lord working in your life or in the lives of others.

While waiting, use those experiences to give you hope for whatever you might be going through now.

In the midst of turmoil, we can find rest while waiting for God’s great harvest. How?

Pause and Read: Psalm 92. Then View the next segment of this video: Day 5: Waiting in God’s Sabbath Rest

Psalms (Lesson 13)

Waiting on the Lord

Day 5: Waiting in God’s Sabbath Rest

Psalm 92 is a song, a Hymn of the Sabbath. Ancient Israel sang this hymn on the Sabbath, the day God, at creation, set aside for His people to rest.

In that God established the Sabbath at Creation, this song helped the worshippers remember Eden at creation and look forward to its restoration when God recreates this world.

Psalm 92:4-5 reminds the worshippers of the great works of God’s hands at Creation.

4 For You, Lord, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands.

5 O Lord, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep. (Psalms 92:4-5)

Psalm 92:12-14, painting an image of Eden, linking back to creation, gives the worshippers a vision of the day when Eden is restored. 

12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

13 Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God.

14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, (Psalms 92:12-14)

This Sabbath song or hymn also praises God for His victories over their wins and their fight against his enemies, demonstrating that God’s judgments are fair and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

Additionally, Psalm 92:7-15 is another reminder of observing the Sabbath spelled out in Deuteronomy 5:12-15.

 So, Psalm 92 praises God for His past works and praises Him for the peace He will bring in the future as they wait on Him.

Thus, on the Sabbath day, God’s people with joy can sing Psalm 92:1

1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; (Psalm 92:1).

This is because we are assured that God’s superior position as our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer gives us a matchless advantage over our enemies. (Split)

Nevertheless, although God is the Most High, he is willing to stoop down and help those who cry out to him for help.

Knowing that God is our creator, sustainer, redeemer, ruler, and creator of everything should fill our hearts with love for Him.

After all, without the promises of God, we would be without hope, lost in a world filled with suffering, pain, and death.

This should certainly give us a reason to praise God not only as our creator but also as our Redeemer.

The psalmist in Psalm 92:10 talks about “fresh oil,” saying:  I have been anointed with fresh oil.

The use of the image of fresh oil conveys the psalmist’s renewed decision to serve the Lord.

In the past, anointing oil was used to consecrate people, such as priests and kings chosen to serve God, as Exodus 40:15 and 1 Samuel 10:1 express.

The lesson study guide indicates that the psalmist chose an unusual Hebrew word to describe his anointing that does not typically depict the anointing of God’s servants but instead implies the “mixing” of oil with other parts of the sacrifice as in Exodus 29:2 and Leviticus 2:4, 5.

Thus, this shows the psalmist’s desire to give himself as a living sacrifice to the Lord, just as Paul calls the people to do in Romans 12:1 when he says:

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1) 

Recognizing that this song is a Sabbath Hymn, a song sung on the Sabbath day, it should come as no surprise that the worshippers express thoughts about giving one’s whole life to God in a song that is about the Sabbath.

This is because the Sabbath, according to Exodus 31:13, is the sign that God sanctifies his people.

13 “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. (Exodus 31:13)

It is a sign between God and His people. According to Ezekiel 20:20, this sign was to be an everlasting sign between God and His people:

20 hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’ (Ezekiel 20:20).

Thus, Sabbath rest is essential to God’s people because it helps them trust in the Lord and wait on Him to fulfill his covenantal promises. See Hebrews 4:1-10.

With your understanding now, read Psalm 92 again. What hope does this psalm offer you? How can you take comfort in resting on God’s Sabbath Day as a sign between you and Him as you wait on Him?

Though waiting seems dark and long and may make us feel isolated and alone, we have the assurance that joy comes in the morning.

This is the point that the following verses in the Psalms make.

Pause and read Psalm 5:3, Psalm 30:5, Psalm 49:14, Psalm 59:16, Psalm 92:2, Psalm 119:147, 2 Peter 1:19, and Revelation 22:16. What can we expect will fill our hearts with joy in the morning?  

Continue to the next segment of this video: Day 6: Joy Comes in the Morning

Psalms (Lesson 13)

Wait on the Lord

Day 6: Joy Comes in the Morning

 In the Psalms, morning is seen as the time when people expect God to rescue them.

Morning is used to portray an image of God’s favor. It is viewed as the relief from the end of a long, dark night of troubles and despair.

In contrast to the morning, the night is seen as a time of trouble, hardship, sadness, pain, and despair.

In Psalm 130:5, 6, the psalmist compares his longing for the morning as greater than that of the night watchers.

In Psalm 143:3, God’s people are assured that when He saves them, He will reverse their present state of darkness, whereby sin and death come to an end in the morning.

Psalm 143:7-10 compares the transition from darkness to the light of a new morning to the transition from being in the pit to living in “the land of uprightness.”

Read Mark 16:1-8 notice what Mark says happens in the morning?

So, great things happen in the morning. Jesus woke up from the dead on the morning of the third day after He was crucified on the cross.

When Jesus rose from the dead, He made a way for us humans to experience eternal morning. 

Through him we have the privilege of living in a world where there will be no more night. When Jesus woke up from the dead, His disciples realized the real meaning of the promise made in Psalm 30:5

5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5).

We see in Psalm 30:5 and 7, that we cannot do anything to relieve our distress of the night. It is only by God’s favor and love that our tears of sorrow can be turned to tears of joy.

This is the point Peter makes in 2 Peter 1:19 when he says:

19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; (2 Peter 1:19)

Interestingly, Jesus in Revelation 22:16 is called the Bright Morning Star (Revelation 22:16).

What does the morning star mean for us?

It announces the beginning of a brand-new day. Thus, Jesus, the Morning Star, announces the beginning of a brand-new kingdom.

Revelation 21:1-8, 25 tells us that in this new kingdom, there will be no more night, evil, or death.

Thus, it says in the Book Desire of Ages:

“Over the rent sepulcher of Joseph, Christ had proclaimed in triumph, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.’ These words could be spoken only by the Deity. All created beings live by the will and power of God. They are dependent recipients of the life of God. 

From the highest seraph to the humblest animate being, all are replenished from the Source of life. Only He who is one with God could say, I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it again. In His divinity, Christ possessed the power to break the bonds of death.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 785.

Therefore, ultimately, when we think of or talk of waiting, we are also talking about us waiting on Christ.

Looking to Christ’s return and living eternity with God in a place where there is no night, and no more death will be well worth the wait.

So, regardless of how painful it gets during the night, keep waiting because the morning is coming!

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