Rom. 2:4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, knot knowing that God s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
Gal. 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Th. 1:9-10 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
Heb. 9:28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
James 5:7-8 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Americans spend roughly 37 billion hours each year wai8ng in line. The dominant cost of wai8ng is an emo8onal one: stress, boredom, that nagging sensa8on that one s life is slipping away. The last thing we want to do with our dwindling leisure 8me is squander it in stasis. - Alex Stone
Waiting is an important strategy of God to cultivate productivity.
Josh. 1:1-3 AGer the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses assistant, Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.
Josh. 6:1 Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in.
Josh. 6:2-4 And the LORD said to Joshua, See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven 8mes, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.
Josh. 6:5 And when they make a long blast with the ram s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.
Key Observations: The Promise of Victory (v.2). The Plan for Victory (vv. 3-5).
Josh. 6:3-4 You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.
Josh. 6:5 And when they make a long blast with the ram s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.
Josh. 6:2 And the LORD said to Joshua, See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.
I. Waiting requires and instills trust in God. Heb. 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down ager they had been encircled for seven days.
2Pet. 1:5-8 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with selfcontrol, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affec8on, and brotherly affec8on with love. For if these quali8es are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffec8ve or unfrui`ul in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
II. Waiting helps us embrace a godly perspective towards time.
Time is a gift from God, not a personal commodity.
Psa. 139:16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me,when as yet there was none of them.
Relying as we do on newer and ever-faster technologies of speed, we have acquired and continue to acquire whole new sets of expectations that encourage impatience. - Phil Kenneson
III. Waiting is a worshipful act of loving obedience to God. Psa. 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
Psa. 13:5-6 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
Waiting is a winning strategy of God to make us into patient people.
Next Steps: 1. Ponder your impa8ence. 2. Plan periods of uselessness. 3. Pray for perspec8ve.
Psa. 90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.