Wait In Hope Is Key – How to Find Peace in the Waiting Seasons is a Key sermon exploring the biblical principle of patiently waiting on God’s perfect timing with hope and trust. It encourages believers to cultivate perseverance, overcome anxiety and worry, and find peace in life’s waiting seasons by developing unwavering faith in God’s sovereign plan. The sermon provides practical strategies for embracing life’s seasons with joy, discerning God’s will, and ultimately experiencing His best blessings.
TRUST GOD’S TIMING
By Pastor Delbert Young
Wait In Hope Is Key – How to Find Peace in the Waiting Seasons
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Wait In Hope Is Key – How to Find Peace in the Waiting Seasons
Scriptures: Ecclesiastes 8:5-6, Galatians 6:9, Psalms 37:4, Psalms 33:20, Psalms 25:5, Act 2:26, Zechariah 9:12, Ruth 1:20-21,
We are taking a look at why we should and how to Trust God’s Timing. Last time, we talked about how God sets a Proper Time and Procedure for every matter. Let’s look at the scripture again.
Ecclesiastes 8:5-6 Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and THE WISE HEART WILL KNOW THE PROPER TIME AND PROCEDURE. For there is a PROPER TIME AND PROCEDURE FOR EVERY MATTER, though a MAN’S MISERY WEIGHS HEAVILY UPON HIM.
Misery is a big word in today’s lesson. The wise heart knows there will be misery in life, though it knows there is a proper time and procedure for every matter. The wise heart realizes misery, sometimes heavy misery, weighs upon him and is part of the procedure to get to what matters in life. There is misery included in the procedure you must go through to get to your healing, opportunities, goals, wishes, settle arguments, live dreams, and answered prayer for problems.
The question isn’t if there is a proper time and procedure. The question becomes, can you wait patiently with a good attitude while keeping your faith and handling the misery as you go through the procedure? The wise heart knows on the other side of the misery is what matters.
God has placed hope in your heart. He’s placed dreams, desires, and goals you want to accomplish. So often, we give up on those hopes, dreams, and desires. Something happened. It didn’t go the way you wanted, so you gave up. Or, you tried and failed.
Maybe someone did you wrong. Perhaps you felt it was over your head, and you were incapable. You became complacent. You stop pursuing what you once believed God placed in your heart. I want you to know it may be taking a long time. You may be experiencing misery, but God is faithful, and your time will come if you continue in hope and won’t give up.
Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for AT THE PROPER TIME WE WILL REAP A HARVEST IF WE DO NOT GIVE UP.
There is a proper time. No matter how long it’s been, how impossible it looks, or how miserable it gets, if you continue to do what you know, you should stay faithful to God, keep your attitude correct, and continue through God’s procedure even though there is misery, your time will come.
Psalms 37:4 Delight yourself IN the LORD and HE WILL GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART.
It’s difficult to delight yourself in the Lord when you are going through misery. How do you do this? Begin noticing the “in” in this scripture and the following. The Lord has given you desires, plural. God placed them into your heart. Every desire, dream, and promise in your heart takes root; not only did God put it there, but he has every intention of bringing it to pass.
The correct attitude of delight is, “I’ve been waiting and hoping and praying, but it’s okay. I know it’s coming.” “I have this small house, but it’s okay. My big house is coming.” “I want to be married. I’ve been waiting for the right one, but it’s okay. God’s got it under control. I trust his timing. I know it’s coming.” How do you do this? A key is to WAIT IN HOPE.
Psalms 33:20 WE WAIT IN HOPE for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.
Are you waiting IN hope? Not with hope. “In hope.” Is hope all around you? Is hope shielding you? Hope shields us from misery. Get into hope! No matter what misery comes, your attitude will be right if you are IN hope. You will be patient. You will be capable of continuing the procedure to get to what matters.
Psalms 25:5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and MY HOPE IS IN YOU ALL DAY LONG.
What do you put your hope IN all day long? Is your hope in God your Savior? What is your attitude all day long? “Delbert, I’ve been praying, hoping, and waiting for five years. It just isn’t going to happen.” That’s the wrong attitude. “
I’ve been praying for my husband for ten years. My home is miserable. He’s never coming to the Lord.” That’s the wrong attitude. That’s not delighting yourself in the Lord. “Everyone gets promoted but me! I’m miserable at work.” “I wanted to start my own business, but no one would support me.” You have the wrong attitude. You are IN doubt, not IN hope. You’re putting your hope IN the wrong place. No. You need to get inside hope all day long. Wait In Hope – A Key.
(TMB) Act 2:26 I’m glad from the inside out, ecstatic; I’VE PITCHED MY TENT IN THE LAND OF HOPE
Get IN the Land of Hope. You need to live IN the Land of Hope. You need to move your tent from the land of misery to the Land of Hope. Pull up your tent stakes and move your residence. Move from the Land of “give up” to the Land of Hope. Move from the “Land of People Did Me Wrong and Self Pity” to the Land of Hope. Pick up and move from the Land of “Over My Head” to the Land of Hope. Move from the “Land of Complacency” to the Land of Hope.
You may have a thousand disappointments and reasons to pitch your tent in the Land of Misery. You need to be glad and ecstatic and pitch your tent in the Land of Hope and live there all day long.
Zechariah 9:12 Return to your FORTRESS, O PRISONERS OF HOPE; even now I announce that I WILL RESTORE TWICE AS MUCH TO YOU.
We need to be IN the prison of hope. Hope is your fortress, but sometimes things happen. We leave the fortress and become prisoners of misery and poison.
I remember a time someone did me wrong. I left the fortress of hope. Bitterness, anger, and hate captured me. I was in misery. I was in my personal prison of poison, and I became complacent, not caring. It stopped me by poisoning my dreams and desires. I had to make a conscious decision to escape, pull up my stakes, and move from the prison of poison to the Land of Hope. I had to surrender my mind and become a prisoner of hope. Wait In Hope – A Key.
What holds you in prison? How long will you stay there? Some people live in their personal prison of poison for five years, ten years, twenty years, or more and wonder why their dreams have not happened. Be a prisoner of hope.
Instead of becoming negative and bitter, make a conscious decision to move to the Land of Hope. Realize the situation did you a favor. When you become a prisoner of hope, God will restore twice as much to you. It happened to me. God amazingly blessed my life. Not only was there amazing immediate blessings, today I have twice the joy, twice the peace, twice the victory, and twice the fulfillment. You can be glad from the inside out and ecstatic, but you must move to the Land of Hope and become a prisoner.
Many lose hope when bad times come.
They allow the misery time to change their lives. They become angry with God. In the Book of Ruth, we learn about a woman named Naomi. Her name (No’omiy) means pleasant. When people said hello to her, they said, “Hello Pleasant.” “How is your day, Pleasant?” When people repeated her, they said, “Pleasant said…”
However, Naomi went through several unfair situations and tremendously heartbreaking times. During the famine, her husband moved their family from her home, friends, and relatives in Bethlehem to Moab, a foreign land. Moving like this is tough on a woman, but then her husband dies. She had two sons who married women from Moab. They took care of Naomi, but tragically, after about ten years, both sons died (Rut 1:5).
Naomi was left dependent upon her widowed daughters-in-law, but in their culture, widowed women didn’t survive well. Naomi decided to move back to Bethlehem. Sadly, by this time, Naomi had allowed her misery to change her life. She was no longer Pleasant. Her hope was no longer in the Lord. She now focused on her misfortune all day long. She’d pitched her tent in the land of misery and doubt. She was a prisoner in the prison of poison.
Naomi became a miserable woman. So much so that she changed her name. She moved back to Bethlehem. People said, “Hello, Pleasant! It’s good to see you.” but she said,
Ruth 1:20-21 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”
Mara means bitter. Naomi said, “Don’t call me Pleasant. Call me Bitter. I’m miserable.” When people said hello to her, they said, “Hello, Bitter.” “Hello, you who the Almighty made life very bitter.” Every time someone said her name, they reminded her of her hurt, her misfortune, her sorrow, pain, and bitterness, keeping the hurt and poison alive inside her.
Here’s my point. Don’t allow life to change your name.
Yes, you’ve been through unfair situations. You’ve had misery. Your child rebelled. Perhaps a parent passed. You had an illness. Maybe you suffered a divorce. Your business failed. You lost your job or lost a loved one. You feel your dream died. The bottom fell out. There’s been misery.
I want you to know that God still has a great plan for your life. Don’t let life change your name. Instead, have a wise heart.
Say, “I am making a conscious decision. I know God has set a proper time for me. I’m simply going through the procedure. I will reap my harvest if I don’t quit. I will delight myself in the Lord; he will give me the desires of my heart, and I will wait in hope. Hope is my shield. I will hope all day long. I will pitch my tent in the Land of Hope. There, I will be glad and ecstatic. I am a prisoner of hope. Hope is my fortress. I’ve been through a lot, but I’ve come too far to stop now.” Wait in hope.
Joseph did this.
Remember Joseph? He had a desire to rule in his heart as a young boy. You know the story of his misfortune after misfortune – misery after misery. His brothers hated him and sold him to slave traders. Then he was lied about and put in a literal prison. Even in prison for many years for something he didn’t do, Joseph never lost his hope. He delighted himself in the Lord and kept his faith. He waited in hope. All day long, Joseph hoped. In the worst of circumstances, Joseph pitched his tent in the Land of Hope.
He wasn’t a prisoner of Egypt. He was a prisoner of hope, and he kept his faith. Joseph also used his God-given gifts. He served the jailor. He helped people. Joseph went through the procedure, and at the proper time, Joseph reaped the harvest. His desires (plural) and dreams did happen. He ruled in Egypt.
What was the difference between Naomi and Joseph?
Naomi allowed her misfortune to change her name—her life—but Joseph didn’t. Joseph means “the Lord will add to me” (Gen 30:24), and he knew one day the Lord would add to him.
Life and people mistreated some of you, like Mara and Joseph. Don’t give up like Naomi, and allow life to change you into Bitter. No. Do what Joseph did. Have a wise heart. Make a conscious decision. Say. “I know God has set my matters at the proper time into my future. I am simply working through the procedure, and I will reap my harvest if I don’t quit. Yes, I will delight myself in the Lord, and he will give me the desires (plural) of my heart. I will wait in hope.
Hope will surround me, shielding me from despair, stress, and anxiety. I will hope in the Lord all day long. I will pitch my tent in the Land of Hope. It’s there that I will be glad and ecstatic about life. I am a prisoner of hope. Hope is my fortress against my enemies. I’ve been through a lot, but I’ve come too far to stop now. I will Trust God’s Timing.”
Wait In Hope Is Key – How to Find Peace in the Waiting Seasons
Wait In Hope Is Key – How to Find Peace in the Waiting Seasons
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Dark Times – How to Overcome Discouragement
Proper Time and Procedure audio video notes
Trust God’s Timing sermon series
Prisoner of Hope sermon notes audio
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