Most people do not like to wait, especially in this day of instant gratification. This means “satisfaction that you get from something immediately, without having to wait or work hard to get it.” The opposite of this is waiting. This means “to allow time to go by, especially while staying in one place without doing very much, until someone comes, until something that you are expecting happens or until you can do something.” In these days of internet, fast food and Amazon, waiting is taken out of the equation. You can order something in the evening and sometimes get it the next morning. We are so accustomed to now, that even when something is a short time, that is too long. I am sorry but the burger you ordered will be about three minutes. That okay I will get something different. You also see frustration in the grocery line when it takes longer than they think it should. This has even affected what we read and watch as they need to be short to keep attention spans.

    Today we are talking about waiting on God, but before we go further it is important to understand that God’s timing is much different than our time. Hosea 14:9 “Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Daniel 4:34 “His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. 35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” 37 Everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” Isaiah 46:9 “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. 10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ 11 From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do. 12 Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are now far from my righteousness. 13 I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendor to Israel.” Job 42:1 “Then Job replied to the Lord: 2 “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” When we submit to God and come to understand God is Sovereign, waiting on God is part of humbling ourselves before Him.

    God created time but He is not bound by time, we are. He gave us the twenty-four-hour day and the seven-day week. The sun and moon still do what they were created to do so perfectly that the timing of every celestial event can be pinpointed. I just looked at an astronomy calendar for the year 2030. The fact that this celestial calendar is so accurate is also good news because that means God is keeping His promise to David. Jeremiah 33:19 “The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 20 “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, 21 then my covenant with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. 22 I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’” The day these appointed times stop is the end and eternity begins. That date we do not know, which is why we must be ready. Don’t be unprepared or be like those who say, 2 Peter 3:4 “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”

    Our timing is we want God to act now and according to our timeframe, but that does not happen with God. Everything is about His timeframe, of which we must submit to. Peter went on to say 2 Peter 3:8 “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” When God says to wait, you wait. Saul was told to wait seven days, and Samuel would come to him. The enemy rose up against them and Saul did not wait the full seven days. Saul and his men had panicked and did not believe Samuel would come when he said he would. Saul did in fact wait the seven days but not the full seven days. 1 Samuel 13:6 “When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. 7 Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. 8 He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. 9 So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. 10 Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.” Saul then tried to justify his disobedience. 11 “What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, 12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” Samuel said 1 Samuel 13:13 “You have done a foolish thing, You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”

    Saul did not obey the word of the Lord and then took matters into his own hands. This is what most in the church do and we have all done it. We pray, wait a little and then go ahead and do it ourselves and then try to justify our disobedience and lack of trust by giving glory to God for what our hands have created. To really wait on God requires faith and perseverance in the face of adversity. Often when God says wait, it is not seven days but longer and this is where most get into trouble as they want God to hurry up and act, but we definitely do not want to tell God to hurry up and unfold His plan. Isaiah 5:18 “Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit, and wickedness as with cart ropes, 19 to those who say, “Let God hurry; let him hasten his work so we may see it. The plan of the Holy One of Israel— let it approach, let it come into view, so we may know it.” People do not like to wait. Psalm 106:13 “But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold.” God told His people that their captivity would last seventy years. In this case they knew the timing but did not like it. They preferred to hear from the false prophets who said Jeremiah 28:2 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles of the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. 4 I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.’” At this, the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.” That false prophet would die just as Jeremiah said would happen. Jeremiah said Jeremiah 29:4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord. 10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

    People still do not like to wait on God. A few years back a false prophet said (I am paraphrasing) waiting was an Old Testament command. The last to wait on God were the disciples. Now we go.” The problem with that is the disciples were told to wait in Luke and we saw their waiting played out in Acts. That is the New Testament! Yes, the disciples were given the command to go, but they were given power and authority to show us what the church would do after Pentecost when they were filled with the Holy Spirit. John 7:38 “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” When Jesus sent out the disciples, He empowered them to go. Matthew 10:1 “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.” Mark 16:15 “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” 19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” Matthew 28:18 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

    Most in the church prefer Matthew 28 as their mandate, (the great commission) to go because Mark 16 doesn’t line up with their doctrines, but both are saying the same thing; go and make disciples with authority and power from on High. The problem is most are just going, but not in power nor do they have authority. The church is not the church without power and authority from on High. It is true that we are supposed to go, but not without power and authority, so that means we must wait, just like the disciples were told to wait. In Deuteronomy we see what happens when you go without authority and power. After they were unwilling to take the land, Deuteronomy 1:41 “Then you replied, “We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us.” So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country. 42 But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’” 43 So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the Lord’s command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country. 44 The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah. 45 You came back and wept before the Lord, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you.” The false prophet I talked about earlier supposedly saved millions in Africa but in reality, tapped into dark power, so, people who think they are saved, were not. They were saved into a different Jesus and other gospels. Churches who teach false doctrines did and do what Jesus condemned the Pharisees for doing. Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.” The question most in the church should be asking is; what have I been saved into?

    As we have talked about extensively, most churches / Christians do not have the power and authority the church was supposed to have to defeat the work of satan. This is why it is so important to wait for God to turn His face back to the church. Joseph saw the future but had no idea what would take place before God’s plan for His life would unfold. He had to persevere until the day God raised Joseph to the position God had prepared for him. There is no way Joseph could have imagined how God would use him. Joseph would later say to his brothers who tried to kill him, Genesis 50:19 “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” The church was supposed to carry on the work Jesus started, 1 John 3:8 “The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work,” and carry on the work Paul was sent out to do. Acts 26:17 “I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” That work can only be done with power and authority from on High. It cannot be manufactured by man. Because the church has rebelled against God’s word, God has turned His face from the church, causing the church to be powerless against our enemy who has infiltrated the church and like Israel, is in captivity. At this point we are waiting for God to raise up His church once again. The church must turn from its own wicked ways before others can turn from theirs. The church should be desperate for the true power and authority, not the world’s power and authority, and turn from wicked ways but most are content in their powerlessness and are willing to finish out their lives with human strength and wisdom. Sadly, the church is more interested in the visions of gurus than the power of God. The problem is those visions are from their own imaginations not God as Joseph’s was. Isaiah 65:2 “All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations— 3 a people who continually  provoke me to my very face.” Galatians 3:1 “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?”

    The disciples did not have the power and authority needed to be disciples until Jesus gave it to them. Luke 9:1 “He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” The church did not have the power and authority until Acts 2:1 “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.” This was not a one-time event but the beginning as Peter would say Acts 2:38 “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call. 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” The church has been corrupted be false teachers and we need to save ourselves just as they did from generations of corruption. The church is corrupt because instead of adhering to God’s word, the church rebelled. King Josiah said 2 Kings 22:13 “Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.” Those words also apply to the church which is why the church must repent. Jeremiah 3:25 “Let us lie down in our shame, and let our disgrace cover us. We have sinned against the Lord our God, both we and our ancestors; from our youth till this day we have not obeyed the Lord our God.” Isaiah 6:5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.”

    Because of our sin, God has turned His face from the church, which is why we are waiting for God to turn His face back to the church. Ezekiel described this, Ezekiel 39:23 “I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. 24 I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their offenses, and I hid my face from them.” That is what has happened with the abomination that causes desolation. Deuteronomy 32:20 “I will hide my face from them,” he said, “and see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children who are unfaithful. 28 They are a nation without sense, there is no discernment in them. 29 If only they were wise and would understand this and discern what their end will be!” Deuteronomy 31:17 “And in that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and calamities will come on them, and in that day they will ask, ‘Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?’ 18 And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.” Jeremiah 16:10 “When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?’ 11 then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law. 12 But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors. See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts instead of obeying me. 13 So I will throw you out of this land into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’”

    The church did not learn from those who went before them. Instead of defeating our enemies, God has allowed satan to defeat the church, but not completely because the sun and moon are still doing what they were created to do and that means there is still hope. This means there will be a remnant of survivors but not by our own doing nor are we worthy of God’s mercy. Matthew 24:22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive.” Since most people misunderstand the love of God, they can’t imagine God allowing the enemy to destroy the church, even though scripture makes it clear that was going to happen. They listen to the false teachers telling them this is the way, truth and life, when it is not. The book of Job gives us a picture of God allowing satan power to destroy a person. Job 1:6 “One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and satan also came with them. 7 The Lord said to satan, “Where have you come from?” satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” 8 Then the Lord said to satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” We then see Job’s life as he knew it destroyed. Likewise, the abomination that causes desolation has decimated the church. Daniel 9:27 “And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4 “He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” So not only is the church deceived, but under delusion brought on by God.

    It really is easy to see that the church looks nothing like the church Jesus started and empowered as there is no power. To see it, you just have to read scripture and stop listening to men and women who distort scripture in order to elevate themselves, thus making themselves gods. You just have to read the Gospels and see what the church was supposed to do. John 14:12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Then read Acts to see the power and authority that came when the Spirit of Truth came upon the church and continued to come upon the church. Acts 3:6 “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” Acts 5:15 “As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.” Acts 8:5 “Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.” Acts 19:11 “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.” This was the church in action.

    Jesus warned the church about these powerless days. Matthew 24:4 “Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.” Jesus also said Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Paul said Acts 20:29 “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” The church did not listen nor did the church test the spirits. 1 John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Now most in the church are content with following a different Jesus and adhering to other gospels just as Israel and Judah followed other gods. Deception and delusion are everywhere.

    Thankfully as Jesus said some will be saved. We saw this when king Hezekiah was saved from the king of Assyria. Isaiah 37:31 “Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above. 32 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” There will be some looking for the narrow gate but very few. Luke 13:23 “Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’” Those looking for the narrow door will search and are searching for truth, even though truth in the church has been thrown to the ground. They will not listen to the false prophets and teachers and will seek God with everything they have and no matter what, they will not turn away from God’s word. Jesus went on to say Matthew 24:10 “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” It is important to note that standing firm on the beliefs of a denomination and their doctrines is not what standing firm on the word of God means. Paul said 1 Corinthians 15:2 “By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” If you are standing firm on those doctrines, you have already fallen. 2 Peter 3:17 “Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.” The remnant are those who have tested the spirits and have turned from their wicked ways and they continue to stand firm on the word of God no matter what adversity they face. They are also waiting and persevering through adversity.

    Like Job, there will be those who stand firm no matter what. Waiting on God can bring much opposition. Everyone was against Job, and they accused him of sinning to explain why all the horrible things were happening to him, but Job would not give up. Job 2:9 “His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die! 10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” Job said to his friends who tried to convince him of his sin, Job 27:2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made my life bitter, 3 as long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils, 4 my lips will not say anything wicked, and my tongue will not utter lies. 5 I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity. 6 I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.” At the end of these trials, God said to Job’s friends, not Elihu, Job 42:8 “My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.”  

  Though Job would not give up, his life was not all sunshine and blessing as it was before all this happened. Job 29:2 “How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, 3 when his lamp shone on my head and by his light I walked through darkness! 4 Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house, 5 when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me, 6 when my path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil. 7 “When I went to the gate of the city and took my seat in the public square, 8 the young men saw me and stepped aside and the old men rose to their feet;” Think about how many people turn away from God when everything doesn’t go how they think it should go. But now everything was different for Job. Job 30:1 “But now they mock me, men younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to put with my sheep dogs. “And now those young men mock me in song; I have become a byword among them. 10 They detest me and keep their distance; they do not hesitate to spit in my face. 11 Now that God has unstrung my bow and afflicted me, they throw off restraint in my presence.” Job 19:13 “He has alienated my family from me; my acquaintances are completely estranged from me. 14 My relatives have gone away; my closest friends have forgotten me. 15 My guests and my female servants count me a foreigner; they look on me as on a stranger. 16 I summon my servant, but he does not answer, though I beg him with my own mouth. 17 My breath is offensive to my wife; I am loathsome to my own family. 18 Even the little boys scorn me; when I appear, they ridicule me. 19 All my intimate friends detest me; those I love have turned against me. 20 I am nothing but skin and bones; I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.”

    Even so, Job persevered and would not give up and in the end God blessed him. James 5:11 “As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” Job’s perseverance was not an easy one. Job waited until God blessed him once again even though he had no idea when that would happen. We have the advantage of reading about this account, so we know that if we wait and trust God, He will unfold His plan for our lives. Job on the other hand had no idea what was happening to him and why all this was happening because he was close with God. As God said, Job 1:1 “This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” He knew what it was like to be close with God, but Job said Job 23:2 “Even today my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning. 3 If only I knew where to find him; if only I could go to his dwelling! 4 I would state my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. 5 I would find out what he would answer me, and consider what he would say to me. 6 Would he vigorously oppose me? No, he would not press charges against me. 7 There the upright can establish their innocence before him, and there I would be delivered forever from my judge. 8 “But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. 9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. 10 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. 11 My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. 12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” Even though Job had no idea where His God went, he still did not give up and turn away and curse his God, as satan was trying to get him to do. Remember that is what satan is trying to do with all of us. Like Job, those around you will say, did God really say that? In the end Job would say Job 42:5 “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” Isaiah said Isaiah 6:5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.”

    While Elihu, who was not prayed for, was trying to convince Job he was in the wrong. In that conversation Elihu said that Job said his, Job 35:14 “case is before him and you must wait for him.” Psalm 119:154 “Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promise.” Waiting on God is about trusting God and believing His word that His plan will unfold in your life. Job said Job 42:2 “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” satan’s plan is to get you to turn away from God and reject His word. Even though Job did not think God was nearby, He was. Isaiah 50:7 “Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! 9 It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me.” satan’s goal is to get you to turn away from God’s word by not waiting for God’s plan to unfold. In order to persevere, we must hold firmly to God’s word even when God does not feel nearby. This is why standing firm on the word of God is so important and I don’t mean books about God’s word. Psalm 77:7 “Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? 8 Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? 9 Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” 10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. 11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. 12 I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” Read the Gospels and Acts and wait in expectation for that church to return. As Joshua was told Joshua 1:7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.” Isaiah 43:1 “But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” Psalm 147:10 “His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; 11 the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” Psalm 146:5 “Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.” Psalm 119:166 “I wait for your salvation, Lord, and I follow your commands.”

    Job could have caved in the first chapter when all hell broke loose on him, but he didn’t. He trusted that God had a plan and he persevered no matter what. Job 19:25 “I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” The Israelites did not wait because they did not trust the word of God. Psalm 106:13 “They soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold. 14 In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wilderness they put God to the test. 15 So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease among them.” To wait on God means that no matter what is happening around you or to you, you refuse to give up on God’s word. When God says wait, He means it. Waiting on God is part of your testing, of which most want to be easy and quick. Waiting on God is part of His plan for our lives and the timing of His plan is always perfect, even when it feels like God has forgot about you. Isaiah 46:3 “Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born. 4 Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. 9 Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. 10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.”

    To wait is to trust that God’s plan will unfold. As you wait satan will do everything possible to get you to turn away from God. As we saw with Job, he will use life situations, a spouse, close friends, family members, acquaintances and even strangers to get you to turn away. Many of these mentioned above can be used because usually the person waiting is trusting God with their lives and that is offensive to them. The person waiting is more concerned with what God thinks about them than they are with what man thinks. Paul said, Galatians 1:10 “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” As Hosea said, “The ways of the Lord are right,” but those around you will think they are not right, and you especially are not right and possibly out of your mind. If that is happening, you are in good company because Jesus own family thought He was out of His mind. Mark 3:21 “When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” Jeremiah said Jeremiah 20:7 “I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. 8 Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long. 9 But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. 10 I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side! Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!” All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him.”

    The person who trusts God will wait no matter what because God said wait. Isaiah 30:18 “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” If there is chaos all around you and you are standing firm on God’s word and not man’s word, do not give up and continue to seek God. Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. 7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Habakkuk 3:16 “I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. 17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength.” Jeremiah 15:11 “The Lord said, Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose; surely I will make your enemies plead with you in times of disaster and times of distress.” As you wait you may feel like there is no purpose in your waiting and satan will magnify that feeling but, Isaiah 49:3 “He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.”  4 But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.” Don’t give up!

    Waiting on God is like a warrior ready for battle at any moment. Waiting is not a sloth on the couch even though, as the definition of waiting states, can look like it. Waiting is obedience and preparation for God’s plan to unfold in your life, a plan that would not have happened if you did not wait. Jeremiah 1:4 “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. 17 “Get yourself ready!” Jeremiah 20:11 “The Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten.” Micah 7:7 “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. 8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. 9 Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the Lord’s wrath, until he pleads my case and upholds my cause. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness. 10 Then my enemy will see it and will be covered with shame, she who said to me, “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will see her downfall; even now she will be trampled underfoot like mire in the streets.”

    Waiting is also about hope. Psalm 27:13 “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” As Job said Job 19:25 “I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” Hebrews 10:35 “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” 38 And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” 39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.” Psalm 17:15 “As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.”

    Jesus told the disciples what was going to happen to Him, but they really did not get it, nor could they comprehend the power and authority that would come at Pentecost even though they saw it every day with Jesus. John 21:25 “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” Jesus did rebuke them for their unbelief. Even after being sent out and being with Jesus, Peter still denied Jesus but after Pentecost, he was a totally different person who fearlessly preached the gospel and healed the sick. People were shocked at the transformation. Acts 4:13 “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” This is the power of the gospel and is available to the church. God can use anyone to be His disciples when they are anointed to proclaim His word. Today we have powerless leaders who have masters and doctorate degrees but are not anointed with power and authority from on High. After Pentecost the disciples were now fearless. Psalm 56:11 “In God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?” Matthew 10:28 “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Acts 4:17 “But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” 18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Then we see again the power and authority of the church. Acts 5:15 “As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.”

    Before all this happened, Jesus told them to wait and some listened. Jesus had 1 Corinthians 15:6 “appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.” Acts 1:15 “In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty).” Jesus had told them Luke 24:46 “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Acts 1:4 “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

    That power and authority came upon them and they went out and preached the gospel, healed the sick, raised the dead and cast out demons, doing just as Jesus did. This was the power and authority the church would go to the ends of the earth with if the church remained in the word of God. John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” The church almost immediately followed other Jesus’ and other gospels and God turned His face from the church, and allowed our enemy to decimate the church. We were supposed to destroy the work of the devil, not to be destroyed by him. The church was given all the power and authority needed to bear much fruit and continue defeating the work of the devil. Matthew 16:18 “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” The church chose wrong and lost that power and was powerless against our enemies. But because God promised David there would always be a remnant, there is still a remnant of survivors spread around the world who are waiting on God to restore David’s fallen tent. Acts 15:15 “The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: 16 “‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, 17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’— 18 things known from long ago.” This is what we are waiting for so do not give up!

    God will keep His promise to David, so there is hope for the remnant of the church. Isaiah 40:1 “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. 27 Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope / wait in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 8:7 “I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my trust in him.”

    God said Zechariah 1:3 “Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” If you are waiting for God to turn His face back to the church and dwell among us once again, do not give up. Stand firm on God’s word and do not turn away no matter what happens. Isaiah 49:1 “Before I was born the Lord called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name. 2 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. (Isaiah 30:20 “Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them.”) 3 He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.” 4 But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God. 8 This is what the Lord says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, 9 to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save.” 2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” Numbers 6:24 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’ Isaiah 25:9 “In that day they will say, Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” Isaiah 12:1 “In that day you will say: I will praise you, Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. 2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” 3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”