I’ve made a list of things that sometimes try my patience. I want to share them with you. Some things that make me sigh: waiting in line, waiting for my computer to reboot, waiting for my computer to download, waiting for my computer to upload, waiting in the doctor’s office, waiting in traffic, waiting for someone else to do what I want them to do, waiting for someone else when I’m late for an appointment, waiting on a monolith of bureaucracy to process paperwork, waiting with an illness, waiting when a problem is swelling, growing, waiting when there’s nothing I can do.

Waiting can be difficult. But waiting is what God often calls His people to do.

In Isaiah 7:14 we’re told, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." The people of God waited about 700 years for that prophesy to be fulfilled.

Zechariah the prophet wrote, "Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey." (9:9) God’s people waited approximately 500 years for God to make good on that promise.

The prophet Malachi penned these words, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. ⁶And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers." (4:5-6) Then God’s children waited 400 years. They waited through 400 years of silence. Then the prophesy was fulfilled with the birth of John the Baptizer.

During Advent, God calls his people to wait patiently for the coming of His Son. To help us embrace this season of waiting, I want to direct your attention to Psalm 27. Listen to what King David writes to those of us who are anxiously waiting for God.

"Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait I say on the LORD." V14

This verse is especially meaningful because it’s likely that King David wrote it at a time when his kingdom was coming unraveled at the seams.

When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell. (V2)

What did the king do when he felt anxious? He waited on God. What did he do when his troubles were more that he could handle. He patiently waited for God to intervene in his behalf.

It’s helpful if we cogitate on the meaning the word, "wait." It doesn’t mean, "to be statuesque," "to remain inactive," or, "to loiter in a state of repose." Waiting is a verb. It’s an action word. It’s something we do.

Psalm 25:5 "Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day."

Psalm 33:20 "Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield."

Psalm 37:34 "Wait on the LORD, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you."

Psalm 40:1 "I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry."

Psalm 62:1 "Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation."

Psalm 130:5 "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope."

Isaiah 40:31 "But those who wait on 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."

Zephaniah 3:8 "Therefore wait for Me," says the LORD, When we wait on the Lord we rest in a ready position. We anticipate His intervention in our behalf.

One author wrote the following to help us get a firm grip on this elusive word. "Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity . . .; second, readiness for any new command [direction] that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the [direction] command is given." G. Campbell Morgan

Psalm 27 is an inspired commentary on waiting. It’s divine counsel on what to do while we wait. This text tells us that while we’re waiting on God, we’re to remind ourselves of who God is. You may be asking yourself, "Fr. Doug, how will that help me to patiently wait?" One of the symptoms of stress and anxiety is a loss of perspective. The author of Proverbs made this sage observation about waiting, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick" (Proverbs 13:12). Again, waiting may cause us to lose perspective, so we need to remind ourselves of Who God is.

Notice how David dealt with his anxiety. Mark verse 1 - "The LORD is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid?" King David uses three figures of speech to describe the character of God.

He can patiently wait because of Who the LORD is. First, he says, "When my world is chaotic, God is the one who helps me to see things clearly." Mark the phrase, "The LORD is my Light."

Light dispels darkness. While waiting on God we rest in the fact that we belong to Someone Who sheds light on our difficulties. This is why David could write Psalm 23:4, "Though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me."

The second figure of speech used to describe God is the word "Salvation." "The LORD is my light and my Salvation." The word means "deliverance." It’s used in the OT to describe God’s ability to rescue people no matter how difficult the situation is.

When Israel was boxed in with the Red Sea on one side and Pharaoh’s armies on the other, the Israelites were forced to wait for the Salvation of the LORD. In fact, when they groaned because Pharaoh’s chariots were closing in on them, Moses said, "Do not be afraid. Stand still (or wait) and see the salvation of the LORD." (Exodus 14:13) God is able to deliver you no matter what mistakes you’ve made, no matter what your current circumstances are. He is your Deliverer, your Salvation.

The third figure used to describe God is the phrase "strength of my life." It’s actually one word which is translated elsewhere as "refuge" and "stronghold." It’s used in the Old Testament to describe places of safety where the people of God enjoy a respite from battle.

When the Psalmist says God is our stronghold, he is saying the LORD is a safe place to run to. He provides more security than any manmade fortification. He’s an impenetrable fortress where we receive help to wait.

Nahum 1:7 "The LORD is good; a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him."

Psalm 18:1ff "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God my strength in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD Who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies."

You have a safe place to run to when all you can do is wait. It’s no accident that this place is called a "sanctuary." The word means a sacred place of refuge; an asylum."

Many people go to church because it’s unlike any other place. They experience a peace that comes with resting in the sanctuary of God.

Jeremiah the prophet had this to say about waiting on God, "The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD." Lamentations 3:25-26

Transition: So, while waiting on God, Psalm 27 encourages us to be active, to bring life into perspective by remembering that God is our light, our salvation and the strength of our lives.

As we come to the Lord’s Table this morning I want to remind you that God made His Son wait a long time on the cross so He could say to you, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

As you wait during this Advent season, hear this promise of God and hope in Him. "Fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10