New Life Church of the Nazarene
December 1, 2024
  • Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

      • 1 Thessalonians 3:9–13NASB95

  • Hope in the Waiting

      • Luke 21:25–36NASB95

  • Emmanuel
  • Psalm 25:1–10 NKJV
    1 To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. 3 Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. 4 Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. 5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. 6 Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, For they are from of old. 7 Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord. 8 Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. 9 The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. 10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.

    Advent Hope: Trusting God in the Waiting

    Have you ever been stuck waiting? Maybe it's holding your breath after a job interview and hoping someone calls. Or perhaps it's those nervous days awaiting the doctor's test results. Or waiting for a prodigal son or daughter to return home, a broken relationship to be repaired, or a prayer answered.
    We all share in the experience of waiting, not just for significant, life-altering events, but also for the seemingly mundane moments like standing in a grocery line. Waiting, whether for a brief moment or an extended period, can evoke a sense of helplessness. It's a reminder that we're not always in control, a feeling that's familiar to us all.
    When you wait, there are different feelings to it: waiting, anxiety, frustration, even skepticism. Time may seem to stand still, as if we're at a standstill, and the rest of the world is moving on. And if the wait goes on too long, we can feel despair and question whether God is listening, whether the reply we are waiting for will ever arrive.
    Waiting is out of place in our world. We've trained ourselves to want instant gratification. Think about it:
    We order food, via app, and it comes in minutes.
    We Google something and know the answer within seconds.
    When we get bored, we go on social media or consume limitless videos at the swipe of our fingers.
    The result? We've become very impatient with waiting. Waiting seems wasteful and futile even in a productivity-driven, time-driven culture.
    But life is different, and with all our progress, love, healing, meaning, and spiritual growth, it can't be accomplished fast enough. Waiting is part of life. Perhaps the most incredible experiences of our lives – finding purpose, seeing God answer our prayers, or healing our wounds – involve slowing down, being open to faith, and moving forward.
    Why is waiting hard?
    Waiting reveals our vulnerability. It tells us that we don't have control.
    Waiting tests our faith. Will we obey God, or will we force things on ourselves?
    Waiting refines us. Waiting can make us stronger, more faithful, and more patient, just as fire does gold.
    For this reason, Advent is one of the most beautiful and crucial seasons in the Christian calendar. It's the time of year of waiting and preparation. In our rushed world, Advent challenges us to step back from the frantic pace and pause to ponder God's promises. It's a time to remind ourselves that God's work isn't like ours and that His plan in the world happens according to his timing.
    Advent is not simply a historical celebration of the birth of Christ as a newborn baby in Bethlehem. And it's also a season to look forward, to look forward to His second coming when He will come back and renew everything. Just as the Israelites awaited the Messiah, so do we await the fulfillment of God's last promise.
    Advent waiting is not passive. It's not about sitting back and idly waiting. Instead, it's an active waiting, filled with expectation. It's about preparing our hearts, aligning our lives with God's kingdom, and holding onto the promises that sustain us. It's a time of purposeful waiting, a season of anticipation and readiness.
    It's a broken world we tend to live in. There are headlines about war, poverty, injustice, and division. Closer to home, families are battling, friends and family are sick, and our lives are filled with sorrow, grief, and unanswered hope. You can get discouraged and start thinking, "Where's God in all of this?"
    Hope is the anchor that holds us steady in the storm. It's the inner assurance that God's work is not yet finished. Even in the midst of uncertainty, even when the wait seems endless, hope whispers, "God is at work. His promises are true."
    Hope looks at the history of God's providing and thinks, "If He delivered in the past, he will deliver in the present.
    Hope expects that there will be an answer when God answers, knowing the darkness is passing and that there will be light.
    Why Psalm 25?
    Psalm 25 is a prayer for the one doing the waiting, a prayer for the one who wants to see God's promises fulfilled but who trusts in the meantime. The psalm was penned by David, who understood how it felt to wait on God through tribulation, confusion, and skepticism.
    From Psalm 25, we'll walk through what it means to encounter God, to live in a relationship with God, and to surrender to his transforming power. Advent is the season to understand waiting is not waste, but sacred ground where hope germinates and faith blossoms.
    Psalm 25:1–3 NKJV
    1 To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. 3 Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

    Connection with God

    The Psalms are the prayer book of the Bible and with good reason. They're a blueprint for how we encounter God in every moment of life. Whether reveling in successes or living with doubts, the Psalms tell us that we are called to offer everything (joy, sorrow, fear, hope, even anger) to God.
    David's not kidding in Psalm 25. He begins with a very short but profound prayer: O my God, I hope in Thee. This is more than just a declaration; it's communion. David cries out to God for what he longs for, struggles with, and fears most. Raising our hearts to God is a call to intimacy, a reminder that God is not in a place far away or absent from us but engaged with us.
    David's was a challenging life. He faced betrayal, loss, life, and death due to his sin. But the Psalms again and again reveal David fleeing to God. In Psalm 25, David shows unshakeable faith in God, even when his situation is not in his control.
    In surrendering his soul to God, David teaches us how to approach God with vulnerability and trust. It isn't a shallow, one-time prayer. It's a steady, unchanging relationship – a life of faith in God at every turn.
    What gives David such confidence? It's not cynicism and wishful thinking, but faith in God's unchanging character. David knows God has always been faithful, and believes God will be faithful tomorrow.
    "No one that hopes in you will ever be shamed" (V.3). This is not a personal feeling but a theological fact. God's character is dependable. His love is faithful, His covenants are firm, and His timing is precise. David's hope is grounded in knowing who God is.
    From rescuing Israel from Egypt to feeding them in the desert, God's presence is evident throughout the history of His people. David keeps all these deeds of faithfulness in mind and holds on to them as proof that God can be counted on.
    For God stayed faithful to David and continues to remain faithful to us. His record of keeping promises guarantees that our trust in Him is never misplaced.
    This text also challenges us to look at ourselves. What is our relationship with God during the darkest of times? Are we bringing our hearts up to Him, trusting His character, or pulling back out of fear, distraction, or confusion?
    Advent is the perfect time for us to slow down and proactively pursue God. We must focus again on Him, to recall His faithfulness, and to rest in His promises.
    Advent challenges us to pursue a more intimate prayer life where we don't just make our requests to God but sit with Him, listening and being quiet.
    Private and communal worship restores our hearts to God's truth and reminds us that he is great.
    When we consider God's word in the Bible, it gives us power and optimism, bringing us down to his eternal character.
    These verses tell us that hope is rooted in trust and trust is rooted in relationship. We too, like David, are invited to open our hearts to God, to believe in him, and to be at peace with His faithfulness. And during this season of Advent, let us use it as a time to reconnect with God, and discover again the hope that is available only through Him.
    Advent beckons us into such a life – faith, perseverance, and growth in God's word. Let's see what it means to live a life with God when the road ahead is a mess.
    Psalm 25:4–7 NKJV
    4 Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. 5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. 6 Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, For they are from of old. 7 Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.

    Life with God

    Advent is not just a season of celebration; it's a time of preparation. It is like the Christian life if ever there was one – a continuing journey of surrender and maturity on the side of God. This journey is captured brilliantly in David's prayer in Psalm 25. And he doesn't simply beg God for the quick solution to his troubles, but for instruction, training, and direction: Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your ways.
    This is not a demand to be made passively. David recognizes that life with God is a journey, something we do daily, day by day. He knows that faith isn't simply waiting for God to act but instead preparing his heart and mind to comply with God's will in the meantime.
    Advent echoes this fact; we need to learn that waiting is not a waste of time; it's a preparation.
    Like travelers gearing up for a trip abroad, Advent urges us to prepare our hearts so God can teach us his ways and guide us to move in His.
    This journey is lifelong. We don't connect with God once and walk away; we are always on the journey with God and know He will take us through each season.
    David's prayer reveals an equally profound faith in the faithfulness of God over the centuries. In verse 6, he says:
    Psalm 25:6 NKJV
    6 Remember, O LORD, Your sweet mercies and Your sweet kindnesses, For they are old.
    David isn't begging God to remember in the literal sense that God can forget; he's recalling God's nature and past behavior. He's laying his hope on what he knows God to be — His unyielding love and faithfulness endured "from the beginning."
    David has this assurance because he recalls God's hand at work in the lives of his people. From Abraham to Moses to himself, David remembers how God saved, gave, and directed. This drives his present hope.
    We get to do that during Advent. We look back on God's goodness, at what was realized in the birth of Jesus, and look forward with hope. God has always been good, which assures us to believe Him when His promises are slow to come.
    Psalm 25:5 says David, "5 Teach me in Thy word, Lead me in Thy truth, For Thy salvation I wait on Thy name.
    This is a song of trusting in God's method and timing. David doesn't ask for solutions immediately; he waits on God "all day." But hope, he admits, is something we wait for — sometimes longer than we want.
    Advent gives us this lesson: we wait not because God is indifferent or forgetful but because He is working behind the scenes.
    God's timetable is perfect, even if it's different from ours.
    Waiting on God refines us and teaches patience and trust.
    It's hard to wait when we don't see results. But David remarks that while waiting, we are supposed to turn to God, not in resentment and uncertainty but in expectation and confidence. Advent reminds us to look forward in faith and believe that God is working even in the wait.
    David's prayer encourages us to consider our own "life with God" journeys and to take hope in his faithfulness.
    To walk with God is to trust, but also to surrender. The following verses take David beyond a plea for help to admit needing forgiveness and transformation. For he knows to be with God is to abandon himself and let God do his work in him. Let's look at what it is to leave all to God and be changed by his love.
    Psalm 25:8–10 NKJV
    8 Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. 9 The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. 10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.

    Surrendering to God

    David does not merely ask for guidance in Psalm 25 but also recognizes that he desperately requires forgiveness and conversion. His prayer rests on absolute confidence in God's nature.
    David, in his humility, acknowledges his weaknesses and sins. Instead of trying to fix things on his own, he surrenders to God, believing in His goodness and compassion. This act of surrender is not a sign of weakness, but a powerful acknowledgment that we cannot navigate this life alone. It is a step towards transformation and a source of hope.
    David bases his prayer on God's goodness – God is "good and upright." This goodness is not moral perfection – it's living goodness, the desire to lead, forgive, and transform. David hopes that God's mercy and love will meet him where he is weak and carry him away.
    To surrender means telling God about our sins and asking for forgiveness. David isn't ashamed to confess his need for grace. For us, that is to submit ourselves and our sins to God and hope that the door of change opens with His forgiveness.
    In verses 8–10, David says of God: This is how God is:
    God is just and holy, forgiving and guiding the people who repent.
    He is merciful and faithful and leads the lowly in His ways.
    By submitting to the will of God, we are influenced by these same qualities. God's character begins to transform us into a likeness of God.
    To surrender is not just to give up power but to be molded into persons who demonstrate God's goodness and love. When we surrender, God teaches us to live in His way, stand up, love, and be faithful in relationships and actions.
    True transformation isn't passive. Being God's workmanship, we're commissioned to show the world how God loves and remains faithful. Our life becomes a living testimony of light and hope for all who see it and leads people to the God of renewal.
    The act of surrender transforms us into people of hope. In an age of fear, division, and doubt, we can become the light of His love when we give ourselves to God.
    Hope is Contagious: People look at us reacting to challenges in peace and trust; they notice something different. If our hope is based on our obedient response to God's grace, it is an outward testimony to God's goodness.
    To be people of hope is to be people doing God's work in the world. We're not standing by and waiting for it to happen; we're walking through, letting God do the work.
    When we surrender our trials and let God change us, our lives burn like candles in the dark. Others see the Christ within us and are moved by the hope that comes from it.
    We are reminded in this passage that God's mercy and love are the basis for our surrender. And when we put our struggle in his hands, He makes us into people he would have us be: obedient, loving, and faithful.
    What would it be like to surrender all to God this Advent season? What burdens or anxieties should you set before Him? So how might God use that surrender to transform you and bring you peace?
    To surrender to God isn't the end—it's the start of a new life. Looking back at David's journey in Psalm 25, we know that being with God, living with God, and giving ourselves to God are all sources of hope. Advent also reminds us that this is a hope not only for ourselves but for the world. Let's end with how we can be people of hope in this waiting phase.

    Advent, this season, is one of living hope. It is not mere waiting but active faith in the promises of God.
    Such hope is not mere emotion. It's an active, faith-filled response to God. It's an ever-growing flame that burns brighter in the darkness to reassure us and the world of God's undying love.
    Where do you need to put your faith in God during this Advent season? Where is the uncertainty and the burden of your life? Is it a relationship, a choice, a battle you've been fighting? Take a few minutes this week to lift your heart to God, surrender that area to Him, and let His hope fill your heart.
    As a church, we are responsible for being hope-bearers in our community. We are sent out to be the light and love of God, who has changed us, to bring that light and love to others. By doing good, speaking words of encouragement, or simply being there for someone, let us shine the light of Christ to the world in need.
    Hope is like a candle in the dark. Take an empty room where a little flame is a light source. It is what hope does; it resists the darkness, however deep and suffocating.
    Advent is a waiting season, but we're not the only ones waiting. God has left us reminders of his promise, outward expressions of His fidelity. The Lord's Supper is one of them.
    At the table, we re-evaluate the ultimate hope of hope: Jesus Christ, who came to us in love, who lived among us, who died to save us. The food reminds us that God is faithful to His word, that He loves us, and that His work in us is not yet complete.
    As we receive the bread and the cup, let us come with hearts of hope: hope in the God who was born, who is now with us, and who will be coming again to make all things new.
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      • Psalm 25:1–10NASB95

      • Psalm 25:1–3NASB95

      • Psalm 25:4–7NASB95

      • Psalm 25:8–10NASB95

New Life Church of the Nazarene
boswellnazarene@gmail.com
814-703-0572
http://www.newlifenaz.org/
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