How to wait on God’s Promise is the second in our series, Christ is Risen: SO WHAT?
In case you’ve missed the first one, you can read it here. Three things we talked about, which are:
- God is dependable.
- God accomplishes His promises through a covenant relationship.
- God’s promises are received through faith and require obedience and perseverance.
In this post, I offer two ways that can help you wait on God’s promises. There can be so many, but this time we will only focus on two.
Practice spiritual disciplines
There are lots of spiritual disciplines out there. But, I am going to highlight three that I consider to be the foundation for all the others you may know.
Before talking about about these two primary spiritual disciplines, let me tell you this. Spiritual disciplines should not be the goal, but we use them as a process that helps us draw closer to God and be more like Jesus Christ.
What we practice is what the disciples saw Jesus do on a daily basis. And, Paul says that we should be imitators of Christ ( (1 (1 Corinthians 11:1 and Ephesians 5: 1).
Spiritual disciplines help us with the following:
- We become humble.
- We discipline ourselves.
- We stay alert.
Prayer helps you wait on God’s promises
Prayer implies two things:
- It is an acknowledgment of the need for God.
- It is an act of surrender and obedience to God.
How should we pray?
There is no golden rule about how we should pray. But, Jesus showed us the way to do it. Remember we are disciples of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have to live as He would want us to do it.
Prayer is a mark of what being a true disciple of Jesus means.
The Bible shows us how Jesus prayed, and that’s how He would want you to do it as one of His disciples.
- Jesus prayed daily.
- Jesus prayed for others. He prayed and asked for forgiveness and protection for others.
- Jesus prayed even when life was tough.
Prayer life may be a challenge for you right now. Here’s how you can change all that.
- Add the time, you would like to spend in prayer, to your daily schedule.
- Pray with someone else.
- Pray with purpose. Gather prayer concerns from your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, Church, etc.
Scripture Searching helps you wait on God’s promises
- Use a devotional to help you study God’s Word. This could be printed, off of the internet or an App.
- Use your Church’s sermon materials. In our case (United Methodist Church in Harris and Lake Park), go to our Church’s Facebook page, my blog , or get a copy of my book. You can also find my book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
- Study the Bible with other people. Do it through small groups in your church or Sunday School.
Being in Community will help you wait on God’s promises
Here’s an African saying:
if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.
Why do we need community?
- What you’re not good at doing on your own, God has gifted someone else to do it for you ( 1 Corinthians 12).
- We are built up into who God wants us to be only in the context of community (Ephesians 4).
- There will be someone, in the community, who may have gone through the same experience with you and from whom you could learn one or two things.
Not all communities are good for you
- Pray, asking God for the kind of community you need.
- Know your true needs.
- Go where the people are.
In conclusion, practicing prayer, scripture searching and belonging to a healthy community are very important ways to help you wait on God’s promises. They also help you see God at work in your life as you draw closer to God and people.
Listen to the full audio sermon from last Sunday at the United Methodist Church in Harris and Lake Park.
