On Waiting Well

Titus 2:11-14

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

I recently mentioned a sermon where we were challenged to wait well and one reader commented asking where the sermon could be found. It came from a sermon series on Titus titled Adorning Grace with Goodness. I recommend the entire series - it is a rather short series, includes a variety of pastors and elders preaching, and is full of Biblical Truth and encouragement for grace-filled, godly living. We attend the North Campus at Bethlehem, so we only heard 1/3 of the sermons when the sermons were site-specific, but friends on other campuses have shared encouragement from other sermons, so I know that they would be well worth the time to listen to! You can find the entire sermon series here at HopeInGod.org under the resources and sermons for 2011. The specific sermon that the challenge to wait well came from was shared by Pastor Sam Crabtree and came from Titus 2:1-10, titled Adorning Grace with Goodness: Words and Ways. Enjoy!

Waiting is hard no matter what season we are in. We currently have friends who are waiting to bring children home from Colombia and Ethiopia, friends who are waiting to leave for the mission field in Hungary, Alaska, and Guatemala, friends who are waiting on healing for their children after major surgery or in their children's hearts after enduring a traumatic start to life. We are thankful for the opportunity to pray for these dear friends and thankful to see God doing amazing things in their hearts through this season of waiting.

Waiting is humbling and hard. It makes our dependence on God evident and our lack of self-sufficiency glaringly obvious. In my own strength I cannot make an adoption happen, ascertain funding for several missionary friends, or heal bodies and hearts of precious children. I am dependent on God to complete every good work (Philippians 1:6).

Waiting is good because it provides training for us, an opportunity to cling to God's grace and practice renouncing ungodliness and worldly passions. At times, in intense seasons of waiting I can be driven to fear and anxiety if I do not cling to God's grace. I am tempted to ungodly impatience and pride as I desire to control the timing or outcome of all that I am waiting for. My passions ultimately become very self-focused on getting what I want. Regardless of how good or ideal the goal might be, I am tempted to pursue the event instead of Jesus. Realizing that our blessed hope is our great God and Savior Jesus Christ and is not ultimately adoption, earthly healing, or even arriving on the mission field, I am able to surrender my anxieties and rest in the joy of God's sovereignty for me and the friends for which we pray. It is my prayer that I learn to wait well and seek my blessed hope in Jesus during seasons of waiting and trial. I pray that you are encouraged to do the same today!