Learning to Wait

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Learning to Wait Mike Sotski December 16, 2018

1 Peter 4:12 MSG Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want. Matthew 25 – The parable of ten bridesmaids

Waiting is the hardest work of hope. John Ortberg

Waiting is the work of holding on to hope. John 11:21 NLT Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. Habakkuk 2:1 NLT I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint. Deuteronomy 8:2-3 NLT Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Waiting is important because 1. Waiting reveals our true motives. 2. Waiting builds character. 3. Waiting builds anticipation. 4. Waiting transforms our character. 5. Waiting builds intimacy and dependency upon God.

Isaiah 40:30-31 ESV Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8 NLT I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. Apprenticeship Prayer Partner Questions ▪ In my season of waiting, what aspect of my character are you trying to form? ▪

What is my natural response to waiting? How can I change my view from just trying to get through, to learning to train in seasons of waiting?

This Advent season, we hope you’ll join us for one of our Family Christmas Eve Services as we celebrate the Hope Realized in the coming of Jesus (more info at christmasinstalbert.com).