Trusting God's Timing: A Sermon on Waiting

If I were to get a personalized license plate, it would be the H82W8 or H82BL8.

One of the things that I struggle with is drivers that are morons! I mean first of all the speed limit is the minimum you should go. So, drive the speed limit or take the back roads. If you are on a road that has more than 2 lanes going in your direction stay to the right unless you are passing another vehicle and if you are passing another vehicle, do it! Don’t pull up beside someone and go the same speed, get around them and pull over.

I could go on and on about all those other drivers. I mean I go fast enough if you are going faster than me, then you need a ticket. You are crazy and need to say home.

Don’t even get me started on those people that will hurry and pull out in front of you just to go 10 mph under the speed limit. Giddy up!

How many of you feel like this when your driving? Ok the rest of you need to get an Uber. Just kidding.

Hurry up is something that has been programmed into our brains. I remember when you would turn on the tv and have to wait for the tube to warm up before you could see anything. Now turn on the tv and you already have a picture. Computers used to take so long to boot up, now, they are so much faster but not fast enough. We have microwaves and drive thru’s. ATMs, pay at the pump, high speed internet, online banking, GPS.

What these things do is program us to be impatient. Let’s look at our main text found in Habakuk 1:2-5

All these “conveniences” in our lives, can be a stumbling block to us if we think that God is going to work like a microwave, something that you can go to an get results in just a few minutes. Then when it doesn’t happen, we get discouraged.

Why is it that sometimes is seems like God is taking so long to answer our prayers? Why is it that it seems like we are waiting, when God is all-powerful, all knowing, and everywhere?

Habakkuk said, “How long, must I call for help? Must I see forever see these evil deeds?”

So, here’s something for you, sometimes what God is up to, is hard to figure out. “His ways are higher than my ways.” What is taking God so long? One of the reasons is maybe

1. God is building our character and/or our faith.

In your prayer time, have you ever prayed, “God make me a man of great faith or make me a woman of great faith”? Anyone ever prayed a prayer like that? How do you think God does that? Do you think you say a prayer to have faith and “poof” you have great faith? Or is it more likely that God will allow you to go through things of testing to help us grow in our faith.

Paul says this in Romans 5:3-4

We can rejoice in problems and trials. Anyone have trials and problems and think, “Woooo whoooo!”? Trials and problems. Anyone? I wouldn’t think so.

Maybe, just maybe, in this waiting on God time, is God building character in you, building strength. We talked about Joseph not too long ago and how he had this dream about how God was going to use him to be a great leader, but Joseph was not ready to be a leader. He had a lot of growing to do. He wasn’t ready. Maybe you think you have it all together, but really you don’t.

When your testimony is I did this, or I did that, or I am doing all I can, it has become more about you than God. Give God the time to work on you and build your character.

Let me give you another one.

2. There are pieces God is putting into place.

I have been given a revelation that I need to share and it may be a surprise to many of you. It’s not always about you. A lot of times, when we pray it is for things that we want, they way we want them, and when we want them.

· Romans 5:6

· Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)

Too many times, in our quest to get answers or problems solved, we forget that we are not the only one or the only thing that needs to be ready. Maybe we forget how long it took for God to shape us, but we expect God to shape others more quickly or put things together like a Chick fila drive through.

I am going to pick on Bob, because he brought this up in his testimony about God’s healing and what this had to do with God’s healing, who knows, but Bob has been praying for the right woman to come into his life. But Bob was not ready. I remember this wonderful girl that just was amazing, pretty, easy going and just all-around good person.

On a date, Bob was being his normal horse’s backside and I am going to assume he must have said something along the lines of, “I didn’t make you mad, did I?” To which she replied, “You can’t make me mad.” Bob was like, “Challenge accepted.” He did it and she never went out with him again. Over the last 40 years, it seems like God has been preparing Bob to be ready for this opportunity of another good woman in his life. 40 years.

Any person that God puts into Bob’s life will need to be strong, patient, and understanding to put up with him. God has been not only looking long and hard to find just the right person, but He is also developing her to be ready.

Why is God making me wait so much? Maybe He is putting other pieces together. Here’s another one, and if we are honest with ourselves this one maybe a little painful.

3. God is waiting for you to get your heart right.

Psalm 51:10

Matthew 6:10

I John 5:14 (NIV)

As I continue to pick on Bob, which I am doing with permission.

Sometimes when we are waiting… God is working on our heart. Bob has been his own worse enemy when it comes to how he acts around women that he likes. He has been through a lot when it comes to relationships and some of those situations were not his fault….most of them were but some were not. He carried baggage into relationships, because he had a hard time forgiving himself for a lot of stupid things that he did.

Whether he realized it or not, no matter how much he thought that he wanted to be in a relationship, he couldn’t go all in. He would be like, “I will not let you hurt me, so I will do something stupid to ruin it.” God told him, that he needed to take time to work on his heart. He couldn’t truly love someone until his heart was right. Until Bob could make his relationship about honoring God and for God’s will to be done, it wasn’t going to work.

God does the same for us. We want something and we aren’t getting it, might just be because we will make it about us and not about God. We refuse to do things because, either because “I don’t want to”, “I have already tried”, or “it will never work”. God could just be waiting for you to get your heart right. “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.” God’s “will” will never lead you to do anything against God’s Word. One more…

4. God is trying to draw us closer to Himself.

Waiting can be a dangerous place to be in, because that is when Satan likes to play mind games with you. He starts to tell you that God has forgotten you or that this situation is never going to work out. Lie after lie. God may not answer your prayer on your time. But God answers prayer on time. God loves you so much that during these times of struggle God wants you to lean on Him. Look at what Jesus says in

Matthew 11:28

Luke 18:1

Have you ever gotten worn out with a situation? Have you ever thought that God just won’t do it or I have already asked God 1000 times, maybe God is wanting you to ask 1001 times. Because every time you pray with a heart truly seeking God, you will get closer to Him. The more we draw near to God the more God draws near to us.

Sometimes we get so lost in what we want and what we want God to do, we forget that what God wants is just us. Not part of us, but rather all of us.

What is Taking God so Long?