WAIT WITHOUT WORRY
BREAD
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. 7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret–it leads only to evil. Psalms 37:5-8 (NIV)
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:13-14 (NIV)
10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. 4 Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Psalms 40:1-4 (NIV)
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Psalms 130:5-6 (NIV)
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:22-25 (NIV)
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me–put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)
13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalms 27:13-14 (NIV)
BUTTER
“Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of spiritual life.” Simone Weil
“We can wait in eager expectation rather than wringing our hands in worry as God has promised to cause all things to work together for our good and we can trust Him in any and every circumstance. He is ever faithful to His promises and loving towards all He has made. He loves us with an everlasting love and His eye is ever on us. He was faithful in the past, He is faithful today and He will be faithful tomorrow. What a gracious and loving God we serve. BHY
“Simply wait upon Him. So doing, we shall be directed, supplied, protected, corrected, and rewarded.” Vance Havner
“Let me carefully mark the inward workings of thy grace, and the outward tokens of thy providence, so as daily to have a true sense of thy gracious presence in every thing, more or less important; and thereby to be ever strengthened in faith, and kept in a composed state of mind; considering that nothing happens by mere chance, but all is wisely ordered by thy providential care to our good; firmly believing, if anything goes contrary to expectation, that something better will follow in its stead, if we only can be quiet, and wait the time.” K.H. Von Bogatzky
“Waiting is just a gift of time in disguise — a time to pray wrapped up in a ribbon of patience — because is the Lord ever late?” Ann Voskamp
“God aims to exalt Himself by working for those who wait for Him.” John Piper
“To the missionary who works only for visible results there are certainly many disappointments on the foreign field, and during the long pioneer days of waiting and of sowing seed, only the consciousness that one is doing his duty and obeying the Lord of the Harvest can keep the heart full of peace and full of faith as to the ultimate results.” Dr. Susanna Carson Rijnhart
“Patience is the fair handmaid and daughter of faith; we cheerfully wait when we are certain that we shall not wait in vain. It is our duty and our privilege to wait upon the Lord in service, in worship, in expectancy, in trust all the days of our life. Our faith will be tried faith, and if it be of the true kind, it will bear continued trial without yielding. We shall not grow weary of waiting upon God if we remember how long and how graciously He once waited for us.” Charles H. Spurgeon
“I was regretting the past and fearing the future. Suddenly the Lord was speaking, ‘My name is I AM.’ He paused. I waited. He continued, ‘When you live in the past with its mistakes and regrets, it is hard. I am not there. My name is not I WAS. When you live in the future, with its problems and fears, it is hard. I am not there. My name is not I WILL BE. When you live in this moment, it is not hard. I am here. My name is I AM.’” Helen Mallicoat
“Resurrection is every moment when we grasp hope and let go of despair. Resurrection waits for us on the other side of death. On the other side of fear. On the other side of the great, flying leap into the unknown. Resurrection is our return to life. Resurrection is our homecoming.” Christie Purifoy
“Nowhere does the Bible teach that Christians are exempt from tribulation and natural disaster…But the Bible does teach that we can face trials with a power others do not have – the power of God. As we trust Him, God helps us endure, and even discern His purposes in the midst of suffering…The eagle has the unique ability to lock its joints and soar effortlessly on an updraft, instead of flapping its wings. As we wait on God, He helps us use the winds of adversity to soar above our problems. As the Bible says, ‘Those who wait on the Lord…shall mount up with wings like eagles’ (Isaiah 40:31).” Billy Graham
“All of us are waiting for something. It might be a spouse or a baby. It might be healing or a home. Regardless of what we’re waiting for, it’s easy to feel discontent when things aren’t going as planned and our dreams are delayed- especially when questions of “Why?” and “How long?” remain unanswered. God uses seasons of waiting to teach us patience and make us more like himself. But sanctification is not the only purpose God has in mind. When we wait faithfully with unmet longings, we become a powerful picture of the bride of Christ waiting for the day when he returns and God’s kingdom reigns.” Betsy Childs Howard
“I realized that the deepest spiritual lessons are not learned by His letting us have our way in the end, but by His making us wait, bearing with us in love and patience until we are able honestly to pray what He taught His disciples to pray: Thy will be done.” Elisabeth Elliot
“They also serve who only stand and wait.” John Milton
“We were made to depend, receive, obey, and trust – anything outside of that is not being who we were made to be.” Laurin Greco
“Faith raises the soul above the difficulty, straight to God Himself, and enables one to stand still. We gain nothing by our restless and anxious efforts….It is therefore true wisdom, in all times of difficulty and perplexity, to stand still – to wait only upon God, and He will assuredly open a way for us.” C.H. Mackintosh
HEART SAVOR
• I am not to worry in wait rather pray with thanksgiving – setting my heart and mind on things above.
• I am to trust in the Lord and His timing. He always has my best interest at heart.
• I am to wait with open hands – desiring His will over my own and not hold on to the temporal tightly.
Beth Yoe's Sharing Bread 