Just a Priest…Waiting

Pastor Kent Landhuis 

THEME - God works in unexpected ways.

TEXT - Luke 1:5

1. Hope dies over time.  

o  Luke 1:5-7

o  Expectations: 

o  No kids.

o  No answered prayer

o  No intervention from God

2. God never stops working.

o Luke 1:8-25

o Unexpected intervention

o  An Angel

o  A baby

o  A Savior

3. Will hope be revived?

o Luke 1:67-80

o Just a priest… waiting

NEXT STEPS

1. Take your unmet expectations to God.

2. Don’t give up hope. 

3. Wait.

GO DEEPER: When waiting…what do you do?

When I wait, I check my watch - frequently. Waiting wears me out. What about you?

When weary of waiting – we waver.

When the wait is long, we are tempted to bail on God. Circumstances can cause our faith to waver when we try to stand firm on God’s promises. 

When weary of waiting – we lose confidence.

Wavering thoughts can turn to fear and fear robs us of confidence. Remember: God’s promises are true - and nothing ever changes that.

When weary of waiting – we become self-focused.

When weary, we begin to focus on our wants, needs, and desires, AND the ways these wants, needs, and desires go unmet. Waiting invites us to stay focused on God. 

When weary of waiting – we struggle with unbelief.

Waiting on God is hard. Waiting on answered prayers or blessings or glimpses of hope is hard. Maybe even beyond hard. But God is still God. 

VERSES TO HELP US WAIT:

Isaiah 40:31 - 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.

Lamentations 3:25 - The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

Psalm 130:5 - I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.