If you are looking for inspiration for a sermon on waiting upon the Lord, then you are in the right place. In this blog, I have provided a complete sermon outline that can help you prepare your message about waiting on the Lord.
You are going to get a topic suggestion, scriptures, prayer points, and an outline that you can follow completely or feed off from. Let’s get into it already.
Sermon On Waiting Upon the Lord Outline
This is a sermon outline for a waiting upon the Lord sermon:
- Introduction
- Main text
- Objective
- What does it mean to wait on the Lord?
- Benefits of waiting on the Lord
- 7 Things to do while waiting on the Lord
- Counsel
- Prayer points on waiting on the Lord
This is what the outline looks like. So, let’s get into the details.
Introduction
One of the many ideas in the Christian Faith is about waiting on the Lord. Isaiah 40 verse 31 is the verse that is often used to buttress what this idea is about. There are many teachings on waiting on the Lord that have attempted to bring knowledge to us about what this means but today, the goal is not mere education.
The goal of this sermon on waiting upon the Lord is to give us the push to get on with waiting on the Lord. We will be looking at what it means to wait on the Lord, the benefits of waiting on the Lord, and the things we must do while we wait on the Lord.
After this sermon, the expectation is not for us to know what the idea of waiting on the Lord is but to begin to practice it.
Main Text:
Isaiah 40:31
Objective:
The main objective of this sermon is to show the believer what it means to wait on the Lord. It is also going to help the believer understand why it is important to wait on the Lord and the events that culminate into the concept of waiting.
What Does it Mean to Wait on the Lord?
There are several ways to define the concept of waiting on the Lord. Basically, waiting on the Lord refers to patiently delaying movement or action until God does something. The entire goal is for God to have a say or bring instruction or insight or wisdom or move before we take action.
It is about taking out time to seek the face of God concerning a thing, a step, or an action. This is to secure His voice concerning the matter or get feedback from Him.
Waiting on the Lord also means to spend time discerning His voice and will for an event or a situation.
It can also be seen in three ways: waiting on, waiting for, and waiting upon. These three ideas summarize what it means to wait on the Lord.
When you are “waiting on,” it could be that you are trusting God for directions about something – maybe the choice of a life partner or an investment you want to make. Waiting on the Lord in this regard, often ends in receiving wisdom and direction.
The idea is to align with God’s will which is a reflection of our commitment to living in accordance with faith while demonstrating patience and resilience in the face of challenges.
“Waiting for” could be about looking forward to the fulfillment of God’s plans and purposes in our lives. In this type of waiting, you are full of hope and assurance that whatever it is God has spoken, He is able to perform. A typical example of this is found in Luke 2:25-35 where the Bible talks about Simeon who spent time waiting for the Messiah to be born.
“Waiting upon” is suggestive of intimacy. When you just spend time surrendering your burdens and desires to God. Just being in His presence and seeking His face. This is what it means to wait upon. This waiting is about being still and recognizing that, in moments of silence and reflection, one can experience God’s profound love and direction.
Benefits of Waiting on the Lord
If it wasn’t so beneficial, it would not be an intricate pillar of our walk with God. Waiting on the Lord is very important because of the many benefits it has to offer. Some of these benefits include:
Renewal of Strength (Isaiah 40:31)
The first thing that was pointed out in the scripture, Isaiah 40:31 is that people who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. In times when our strength begins to fail us, when it looks as if we are overwhelmed and too weak to continue the journey of life, we latch on to God’s strength by waiting on the Lord.
This renewal of strength can both be the renewal of physical strength and that of the spirit. In Romans 8:11, see what the Bible says
It is not talking about quickening or strengthening the spirit. It is referring to our physical body. That the Spirit of God is capable of strengthening us physically.
For spiritual strength, we see it in the life of Jesus when an angel appeared in Luke 22:43 to strengthen Him.
Divine Direction (Acts 13:1-3)
In the text, Acts 13, we see a group of men who come together to minister unto God. This is what waiting upon the Lord is about. Just being intimate with God, worshiping, and trying to feel His heart.
It is easy for God to bring us direction in such a scenario. There is no crime if you actually want direction and decide to wait on God. This should be the default for believers before we take any step.
Except of course we want to act on our own which often ends in tears. In the midst of waiting, you are going to get divine directions from God like He promised in Isaiah 30:21.
Intimacy with God
Intimacy with God should be the main priority for every believer. It was intimacy in the heart of God that led Him to create man which is why He came down as we saw in Genesis to speak with Adam and Eve.
The goal of intimacy is to know God, understand His ways, align with His will, and seek His burdens. There is nothing more than this for the believer. This is the hallmark of our lives – being sold out to the idea of intimacy with God.
There are so many benefits that are attached to being intimate with God. when we look at the life of Abraham, he expressed what it means to be intimate with God and we can see that in the following:
- He was aware of what was in the heart of God concerning Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16-33).
- He received the promise of God in Isaac
- He always heard the voice of God and directions were effortlessly at his disposal
Being intimate with God is of paramount importance.
Ease (Isaiah 40:31)
There is no way one would run and not be weary or walk and not faint. It shows that waiting on the Lord brings a level of ease to doing things.
It doesn’t matter what it is you have had a struggle with. When you decide to wait on the Lord about it, ease can be invested in you by your stay with God. This ease could be in the idea of wisdom to tackle the challenge or strength or a way out.
Spiritual Empowerment
This might sound like the idea of spiritual strength but it is quite different. The idea of spiritual empowerment speaks of receiving everything that is required for your journey. It depends on what your journey would be.
For instance, some of us have been called into ministry, others into fashion, others into sports, and so on. When we wait on God, the things we receive are going to be a lot different from each other.
We could all hear the voice of God but the impartation the voice will bring will be custom-made for us depending on what God has called us to do.
So while I could wait on God and receive wisdom concerning His word another person might wait on God and get a clothing line idea. These are all from God but they have different applications based on the things God will have us do.
Only in waiting on God can we truly access what empowerment we receive.
7 Things To Do While Waiting On The Lord
There are things we should do while waiting on the Lord. Here are seven things you should be doing in your season of waiting.
- Praying fervently (Romans 12:12)
- Studying of the Word (Jeremiah 15:16)
- Fasting
- Worshiping God (Acts 13:1-3)
- Declaring the Word of God (Ephesians 3:20)
- Meditating on the Word of God (Joshua 1:8)
- Staying calm in His presence
By doing these things, you are going to be able to maximize the place of waiting on the Lord.
Counsel:
The counsel is in two dimensions. First, waiting on the Lord should be an integral part of your life as a believer. You must always seek to hear God’s voice about anything and everything. Not take any steps whatsoever until you are absolutely convinced that God is involved or in support.
Second, waiting on the Lord is far from just praying and zooming out of the place of prayer. It is about ensuring that you hear from God. Sometimes, it can take days before God speaks. This is why we “wait.” Our waiting is not for us but for God.
Prayer Points on Waiting Upon the Lord
The following prayer points should be said after the sermon:
- Father, I ask for the grace to wait. Kill the haste in my soul Lord and give me staying power in the place of prayer, fasting, and the study of the Word.
- Oh Lord, I ask that you give me the hearing ear and the seeing eye. I will hear you clearly and see wondrous things from your Word (Proverbs 20:12)
- Father, make me obedient to your word and counsel as I receive them after waiting on you.
Final Thoughts
I believe that you have found the inspiration to get your sermon on waiting upon the Lord started. If you need a custom-made sermon, you can reach out to me from the contact page and I will be happy to get in touch with you to prepare specifically for you.