God Is Waiting Upon Us
The sermon emphasizes the importance of understanding God's waiting on us and the blessings that come from our patience and trust in His timing.
Charles E. Cowman preaches about the profound concept of God waiting on us, emphasizing that our waiting upon Him is met with His gracious waiting upon us, instilling confidence that our patience will not be in vain. He explains that God's timing is perfect, likening Him to a wise husbandman who waits for the fruit to ripen before harvesting, ensuring that we are spiritually ready to receive His blessings. Cowman encourages the congregation to embrace waiting in the sunshine of God's love and under the cloud of trials, as both are essential for spiritual growth and the manifestation of God's blessings.
Text
"And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you...blessed are all they that wait f or him" (Isa. 30:18).
We must not only think of our waiting upon God, but also of what is more wonderful still, of God's waiting upon us. The vision of Him waiting on us, will give new impulse and inspiration to our waiting upon Him. It will give us unspeakable confidence that our waiting cannot be in vain. Let us seek even now, at this moment, in the spirit of waiting on God, to find out something of what it means. He has inconceivably glorious purposes concerning every one of His children. And you ask, "How is it, if He waits to be gracious, that even after I come and wait upon Him, He does not give the. help I seek, but waits on longer and longer?"
God is a wise husbandman, "who waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it." He cannot gather the fruit till it is ripe. He knows when we are spiritually ready to receive the blessing to our profit and His glory. Waiting in the sunshine of His love is what will ripen the soul for His blessing. Waiting under the cloud of trial, that breaks in showers of blessings, is as needful. Be assured that if God waits longer than you could wish, it is only to make the blessing doubly precious. God waited four thousand years, till the fullness of time, ere He sent His Son. Our times are in His hands; He will avenge His elect speedily; He will make haste for our help, and not delay one hour too long. --Andrew Murray
Sermon Outline
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I
- Understanding God's Waiting
- The significance of God's grace
- The purpose behind waiting
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II
- The Nature of God's Patience
- God as the wise husbandman
- The importance of spiritual readiness
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III
- The Role of Trials in Waiting
- Waiting under trials leads to blessings
- God's timing is perfect
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IV
- The Assurance of God's Help
- God's promise to avenge His elect
- Trusting in God's timing
Key Quotes
“And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you...” — Charles E. Cowman
“He cannot gather the fruit till it is ripe.” — Charles E. Cowman
“Our times are in His hands; He will avenge His elect speedily.” — Charles E. Cowman
Application Points
- Trust in God's timing and know that waiting can lead to greater blessings.
- Embrace trials as opportunities for spiritual growth and readiness.
- Seek to understand the purpose behind God's waiting in your life.