Vol. 16 No. 33 | August 19, 2013
If you have followed my “Notes” for any length of time you know that I have written about “waiting” on numerous occasions. The longer I live the more I realize that we spend a significant amount of our time waiting. Not just waiting in line at the coffee shop, or the grocery store, or the movie theater. Life itself involves waiting.
This morning I preached a sermon, “Saturday: Waiting.” This sermon is based on (and including much of) John Ortberg’s Who Is This Man?: The Unpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus. As I talked about the “In-Between” times of our lives…those times after something significant and before something significant…the audience was eerily quiet. Typically there are numerous “Amens!” Not today. (I refuse to believe it was an off day for my preaching.) I believe the silence was because most of us understand these “in-between”.
We know what it feels like the day after a death. We know how it feels to wake up on the day after we have lost our job. We know the agony of seeing a dream disappear, and waking up the next day wondering if God is still near us, if He is aware of our pain, and if He cares about what we are experiencing.
As the sermon ended and we moved into our class time I continued to sense that the message had connected deeply and significantly with some people. So, we sat aside our scheduled class discussion on Galatians chapter two, and I asked, “Does anyone have a ‘Saturday story’ that you would share with us?” The stories came. One after another. Each uniquely different and personal; each amazingly similar. “I had no idea what was ahead. So, I prayed” “I fell on my knees and prayed.” “I wondered what was going to happen.” “I did not know where to turn.” “I was amazed at how as I waited I felt at peace, I felt God’s presence, and just when I needed it most…God showed up.”
So, I share these additional thoughts on
waiting because I suspect some of you reading have your own Saturday story. Either you have lived through your Saturday to experience the hope that comes on Sunday, or you are living a Saturday story right now and trying your best to hold on to your hope and stay strong in your faith.
You may be struggling to not give up. You may be longing to hear something from God. His silence may be pushing you to the edge.
Hold on. As surely as we have Saturdays, we have Sundays. As dark and hopeless as this Saturday may be, the brightness of God’s glory will appear on Sunday. Keep looking. Keep hoping. Keep listening. Keep believing. Keep knowing that He has not forgotten you. He has not left you. He has not abandoned you. He is working on your behalf even when you cannot see or hear Him. He is always doing something good.
Remember the words of Hosea.
Come, let us return to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will restore us,
that we may live in his presence.Let us acknowledge the Lord;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth. (Hosea 6:1-3)
On the third day, whenever that may be, He will heal us, He will bind up our wounds, He will revive us, He will restore us that we may live in His presence. He will appear.
The waiting is difficult, but His appearing is worth the wait.
[NOTE: If you have a Saturday story that you want to share, I would love to read it. Email me here.]
Tom
© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.