WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Not Wasting the Wait Publishing Date: 2025-05-25T06:04:44-07:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/not-wasting-the-wait/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:19.000 So today we will be sharing from not just one particular verse, but I'll be going through 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:25.040 different stories in the Bible, and I'll draw different illustrations and biblical characters, 00:00:25.040 --> 00:00:29.880 and we will draw them together and make a point of what I'm trying to share today and 00:00:29.880 --> 00:00:39.520 which is about waiting. Waiting is part of our daily rhythm. Everybody waits, whether 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:49.120 young or old, student or not, married or not. It doesn't matter. Waiting is part of life. 00:00:49.120 --> 00:00:55.760 We wait for our coffee, we wait for the bus, we wait for a phone call, we wait for an assignment, 00:00:55.760 --> 00:01:03.440 we wait for an appointment. Waiting is part of life. And yet, beyond the everyday life, 00:01:03.440 --> 00:01:12.120 we also carry a deeper weight. Some are waiting for a child to be born, some of us are praying 00:01:12.120 --> 00:01:17.240 for a child, some of us are waiting for financial breakthrough, some are waiting for a right 00:01:17.240 --> 00:01:25.040 job, some are waiting for ministry to kick off, some are waiting for a new change in 00:01:25.040 --> 00:01:34.360 career. We all wait, right? So waiting touches every stage of life. It's part and parcel 00:01:34.360 --> 00:01:41.160 of human experience. And so that's what I'm going to talk about, waiting, right? But when 00:01:41.160 --> 00:01:48.640 you look in the Bible and think of this word, wait, I find it very interesting how the Hebrew 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:56.600 understanding of waiting is quite different from how we define waiting in English, right? 00:01:56.600 --> 00:02:04.360 So waiting, in simple terms, waiting is just anticipating or expecting something with hope, 00:02:04.360 --> 00:02:08.120 right? You're expecting something, you're waiting, you're anticipating something to 00:02:08.160 --> 00:02:13.560 happen, right? But then when you look in the Bible and think about this word, Hebrew word for waiting, 00:02:13.560 --> 00:02:24.520 the literal translation of this word is to bind together like a cord, right? Or the twisting or 00:02:24.520 --> 00:02:29.720 winding of a strand or a cord. That's what it means, right? So it's like when you put two, 00:02:29.720 --> 00:02:34.720 three wires together and then you begin to twist, you begin to wind like a cord. And so it's about 00:02:35.680 --> 00:02:43.120 you tied up with your partner or something that you are tied against, right? And so if we think of 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:53.280 that, then it's about your life and God's now intertwined, right? So it's like now when God 00:02:53.280 --> 00:02:59.800 moves, you move. When God sits, you sit. When God runs, you run, right? Because your life is now 00:02:59.800 --> 00:03:07.960 intertwined with the life of God. And so when you think of that, then now you go back to Isaiah 00:03:07.960 --> 00:03:13.320 40, those who wait upon the Lord, they shall renew their strength like eagles. Now we're talking 00:03:13.320 --> 00:03:19.000 about that, right? So now even when your strength is weak because your life is now twisted and deeply 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:24.360 intertwined with God, that now the strength of God becomes your strength, right? And this is why 00:03:24.360 --> 00:03:29.000 strength will rise, right? We were singing that song. So that's what waiting is about, right? 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:36.520 Waiting is never sitting idly and waiting for something to happen. Waiting has never defined 00:03:36.520 --> 00:03:42.440 like that in the Bible. I've not come across a single story or a single verse in the Bible where 00:03:43.480 --> 00:03:53.400 waiting is passive. Waiting sometimes is rest, sometimes it's prayer, but it's not inactivity. 00:03:54.280 --> 00:03:59.960 It's not passivity, yeah? That's what I want to talk about, waiting. And so then 00:04:01.800 --> 00:04:10.840 waiting can be transformative, but waiting can also be wasteful. We can waste our time, 00:04:10.840 --> 00:04:19.960 we can waste our energy, we can waste and learn nothing during our wait, or waiting can be so 00:04:19.960 --> 00:04:27.320 transformative, it can be so meaningful, right? And like I said, everybody waits, yeah? And I want 00:04:27.320 --> 00:04:36.520 to share a few points about how we can squander our waiting or say terrible ways, terrible ways of 00:04:36.520 --> 00:04:43.000 waiting, which I hope that we don't wait this way, yeah? So the first one is a frustrated waiting, 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:49.480 right? Frustrated waiting is a classic example is King Saul, right? He's supposed to wait for 00:04:49.480 --> 00:04:54.600 Prophet Samuel to come and offer the sacrifice, he couldn't wait, yeah? There's a frustrated 00:04:54.600 --> 00:05:00.920 waiting. Second one is a complaint, right? Complain waiting. The Israelites are a classic example. 00:05:04.680 --> 00:05:11.480 Complain waiting is when you constantly vocalize your disappointment and spill out negativity, 00:05:11.480 --> 00:05:16.760 right? The Israelites think that they are better off in Egypt, whereas in Egypt they were slaves, 00:05:16.760 --> 00:05:21.720 and God is in fact bringing them to freedom, right, and to the promised land, and yet 00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:27.160 in the waiting for the promised land they were complaining all the way, right? So that's the 00:05:27.160 --> 00:05:33.160 second way to wait, right? Complain waiting. The third waiting is idle waiting, I-D-L-E, right? 00:05:33.160 --> 00:05:39.000 Idle waiting is like when God has gifted you something and then you like the parable of the 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:45.320 Tenen, the guy goes and just buries his Tenen, right? So it's like idle waiting, right? Which is 00:05:45.320 --> 00:05:53.720 terrible to wait. The fourth one is envious waiting, right? You compare yourself to someone 00:05:53.720 --> 00:05:58.120 who is experiencing or who is in a different season, and then now you look at their fruits, 00:05:58.120 --> 00:06:04.360 now you look at what's happening in their lives, and then because yours will come, but then you're 00:06:04.360 --> 00:06:11.880 frustrated and so you become envious of someone's season, right? And so that's a different way to 00:06:11.880 --> 00:06:20.360 wait. And the psalm is in Psalm 73, it's a beautiful psalm, right? It's a psalm of Asaf, 00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:26.440 and he thought that the wicked are flourishing, they're prospering, everything they do seem to be 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:33.560 like, you know, clicking well, and he's frustrated with his own situation, but then until he enters 00:06:33.560 --> 00:06:40.680 the sanctuary and he knows that these are just flourishing for a moment, right, and he knows 00:06:40.680 --> 00:06:47.160 what's going to happen, their destiny awaits, right? And so now that changes. The fifth one is 00:06:47.160 --> 00:06:54.360 angry waiting, yeah? Harboring resentment towards God and others, right? Jonah, when God changed, 00:06:54.360 --> 00:07:01.400 because people repented, and so God, you know, relented his wrath on the people of Nineveh, 00:07:01.400 --> 00:07:07.160 and Jonah is not happy, right? Jonah is not happy with God because he wants the wrath of God to fall 00:07:07.160 --> 00:07:13.960 on these people, right? And so it's like angry waiting, yeah? And then the sixth one is hopeless 00:07:13.960 --> 00:07:20.200 waiting. It's like when there's no hope in the waiting. I don't see any hope now. The things that 00:07:20.200 --> 00:07:27.640 I've been waiting for, the job that I have applied, everyone, you know, rejected me. Now there's no 00:07:27.640 --> 00:07:34.440 hope in the waiting, right? Whereas Jesus was the one walking with them on the road to Emmaus, right? 00:07:34.440 --> 00:07:42.600 Then they were looking for a savior, not knowing that Jesus is with them, yeah? And the seventh one 00:07:42.600 --> 00:07:52.200 is reckless waiting, reckless waiting. It's like forcing outcomes, right? Forcing outcomes. 00:07:53.000 --> 00:08:01.080 Like God never promised Hagar. Hagar was not in the plan. Hagar was never God's design. 00:08:01.800 --> 00:08:11.000 But Abraham and Sarah were promised Isaac, and what happened was that they forced the outcome of God 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:17.960 in a human way, right? And so what happened was that they birthed Ishmael, right? So that's what 00:08:17.960 --> 00:08:26.920 reckless waiting is. And the next one is fearful waiting, right? Fearful waiting. When Caleb and 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:34.280 Joshua and 10 other spies went to spy the Canaan, they came and they felt like grasshoppers in the 00:08:34.280 --> 00:08:41.960 eyes of the enemy, right? They belittled themselves. They spread that we're too small. It's not going 00:08:41.960 --> 00:08:47.080 to be possible, right? There's fear. There is worst-case scenarios they're imagining those things, 00:08:47.080 --> 00:08:55.080 yeah? And that's a terrible way to wait. The ninth one is passive waiting. You know, when you think 00:08:55.560 --> 00:09:03.400 of those five foolish virgins, they know that the bridegroom is going to come. They know that, 00:09:04.360 --> 00:09:10.680 and yet they would not prepare, right? It's passive waiting. They want the bridegroom, 00:09:11.400 --> 00:09:15.160 but they're not willing to put in the work, right? They're not willing to prepare. 00:09:15.800 --> 00:09:22.760 That's passive waiting, right? The last one is defeated waiting. It's like you have not been 00:09:22.760 --> 00:09:28.600 defeated. You are still waiting for your breakthrough, but then in the waiting you 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:33.720 feel like you're defeated. You're already defeated, yeah? Many people wait in this. 00:09:33.720 --> 00:09:38.040 I've been waiting for two years. I've been waiting for three years. I've been waiting for five years, 00:09:39.480 --> 00:09:48.120 and we're still waiting, but you feel defeated in the waiting. And these are terrible ways to wait, 00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:58.920 guys, yeah? And I hope that we don't go this route. But like I said, one can squander or waste our 00:09:58.920 --> 00:10:08.440 waiting, or waiting can be so transformative. And so today, waiting matters. What you do during the 00:10:08.440 --> 00:10:16.520 waiting matters. It's important, right? It's critical. Everybody waits. And one of the fruit 00:10:16.520 --> 00:10:26.280 of the spirit is patience, right? And if you think of that word, patience, patience is impossible 00:10:26.840 --> 00:10:35.560 to develop without waiting. If you never wait, then where will patience grow and develop, right? 00:10:35.560 --> 00:10:42.280 It's impossible, right? When waiting is never part of your life, then it's impossible, right? 00:10:42.280 --> 00:10:49.400 And so my focus would be this. Today, how can we position ourselves? What are some of the ways 00:10:50.760 --> 00:10:55.560 we can develop, we can learn in order to wait well? 00:10:58.200 --> 00:10:59.960 There are times when God 00:11:02.440 --> 00:11:10.760 instantly answers our prayers, instantly heals, but oftentimes God will put you in a process, 00:11:11.480 --> 00:11:18.360 right? Like for example, if I want to be a medical doctor, God can grant me a medical degree, right? 00:11:18.360 --> 00:11:23.960 Like, you know, today we have this term, honorarium doctorate, right? So even if I don't have a PhD, 00:11:24.680 --> 00:11:29.080 one university can grant me a PhD, right? Kind of like a doctorate, right? So it's a, it's called 00:11:29.080 --> 00:11:35.240 an honorarium degree, right? And so by God's divine grace, I can have a medical degree, so to say. 00:11:35.960 --> 00:11:43.080 But then, since I didn't go through the training, I will not have the skills required to operate a 00:11:43.080 --> 00:11:50.920 human body, right? And so, yes, God will give, God will help me to be a doctor, but then when he 00:11:50.920 --> 00:11:57.320 promises me to be a doctor, what he will do is that he will commit me to a process, so that over 00:11:57.320 --> 00:12:05.560 this period of time, I will now develop the skills and the character and whatever that is required 00:12:05.560 --> 00:12:13.560 for me to get trained so that when I have my medical degree, I'm ready, right? So here's the 00:12:13.560 --> 00:12:23.000 thing, guys. You cannot quicken the process. When God commits you to a process, you cannot quicken 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:31.960 the process. But you can delay the process. Yeah, you can delay the process. When God promised the 00:12:31.960 --> 00:12:38.520 Israelites that it's going to take them 40 days, they cannot change that. Because why? Because the 00:12:38.520 --> 00:12:43.800 journey requires 40 days to travel from Egypt to the promised land, right? God's original design 00:12:43.800 --> 00:12:51.320 was that it'll take them about 40 years, 40 days. It took them 40 years, guys. Did God delay it? No. 00:12:53.000 --> 00:12:59.800 Then who did it? It's their rebellion and their disobedience, right? They complain. They said they 00:12:59.800 --> 00:13:06.520 were better off in Egypt. They started craving for food in Egypt. Where they were? Slaves. So 00:13:08.760 --> 00:13:10.760 they delayed the process. 00:13:13.560 --> 00:13:19.000 One cannot quicken the process, but one can surely delay the process, right? If God wants to release 00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:26.760 something in your life, you can joyfully wait. There are ways to wait. But then the problem is 00:13:26.760 --> 00:13:34.920 that if you don't learn the lessons during the wait, there will be a delay. Yeah? So then, 00:13:36.680 --> 00:13:41.720 there are ways to wait. Like, for example, some of the basic ones are you pray when you wait, 00:13:42.280 --> 00:13:50.040 right? You hope when you wait. You don't give up when you wait. You learn to be restful when you 00:13:50.040 --> 00:14:00.600 wait. You want to be hopeful in the waiting. These are part of waiting. But then, besides these 00:14:01.640 --> 00:14:09.640 praying and hoping and not giving up, but are there other aspects where we can learn to wait? 00:14:11.880 --> 00:14:17.480 I explored this and I find four things that I want to share today. There can be more, 00:14:17.480 --> 00:14:23.640 but I want to share four things. And the first one goes like this. God said to Noah, 00:14:24.200 --> 00:14:30.360 build the ark, right? Build the ark. Why? Because I'm going to bring judgment. Because the corruption 00:14:30.360 --> 00:14:38.840 of humanity is so great that he wants to start in a whole new way. And so the command was, 00:14:38.840 --> 00:14:46.360 build the ark. And if you read there, Noah was 500 years old, 500 years old when he had 00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:52.280 Shem, Ham, and Japheth, right? Those are his three sons. So when he had those three sons, 00:14:52.280 --> 00:15:01.400 he had, I mean, he was 500. But then the time in Genesis 7 when the flood came, Noah was 600 years 00:15:01.400 --> 00:15:09.320 old. And in the Bible, it hasn't been specifically mentioned about how long the exact time it took 00:15:09.320 --> 00:15:14.760 for Noah to build the ark. But then many scholars agree that it took about 100 years, right? It took 00:15:14.760 --> 00:15:23.080 about 100 years for Noah to build the ark. And it's fascinating to see how long it took. And the 00:15:23.080 --> 00:15:29.800 process wasn't easy, right? And long after that, what happened to Noah comes in the New Testament, 00:15:29.800 --> 00:15:35.800 Matthew and Hebrews, they were like Paul wrote Hebrews. And so they are recalling about Noah, 00:15:35.800 --> 00:15:42.440 right? And so Hebrews, in the letters of Hebrew, they are writing about Noah. Noah built it by 00:15:42.440 --> 00:15:51.000 faith, right? Built it by faith. How? Wow. How? Why? Because in Noah's time, nobody had built 00:15:51.560 --> 00:15:59.080 such a gigantic ark. Nobody, right? So it is something that had never happened in history. 00:16:00.760 --> 00:16:05.400 You know, we gotta understand from that context, right? From that lens. Because we think that, 00:16:05.400 --> 00:16:10.280 oh, God told Noah to build and then Noah built it. No. And it was something that God is bringing, 00:16:10.280 --> 00:16:16.840 something which he had never done in history. And God is telling Noah to build the ark. And so 00:16:17.560 --> 00:16:27.320 it would require tremendous faith for Noah to build the ark. Yeah? Because God is warning about 00:16:27.320 --> 00:16:33.640 things that he had never done before and he's gonna do it. When it is gonna happen for the first 00:16:33.640 --> 00:16:39.400 time, it's harder. When someone has done it, it's easier to follow, right? Here we are waiting for 00:16:40.360 --> 00:16:50.280 Hebrides 2.0, yeah? Maybe it's even laughable for some, yeah? But for us, now we're believing. 00:16:51.080 --> 00:16:56.520 We're expecting. We're seeing that the outpouring has already begun. And we will see in its fullness 00:16:56.520 --> 00:17:03.560 soon, yeah? So there was no rain. There was no confirmation. The skies didn't clear, you know, 00:17:04.840 --> 00:17:11.640 no change in the skies. And yet, he's supposed to build, right? And so if you now go to Matthew, 00:17:11.640 --> 00:17:16.120 right? In Matthew chapter 24, if you read there, Matthew is also writing about Noah. 00:17:17.080 --> 00:17:24.280 Yeah? Matthew is writing about Noah and he's writing that people were enjoying, partying, 00:17:24.280 --> 00:17:31.160 and there were weddings, there was celebration, right? And until the time Noah entered the ark, 00:17:32.280 --> 00:17:39.400 right? And verse 39, verse 39 says this, people didn't realize that what was going to happen 00:17:39.400 --> 00:17:46.520 until the flood came and swept them all away. Because this is something that never happened 00:17:46.520 --> 00:17:52.280 in history. People weren't expecting until the eleventh hour, right? They weren't ready and then 00:17:52.280 --> 00:17:56.920 the flood came and just swept away. And here is Matthew, you know, recalling the days of Noah, 00:17:56.920 --> 00:18:07.560 right? So it's important that we pay attention to what God had said in the waiting, right? What did 00:18:07.560 --> 00:18:17.960 God tell you? And then what's your assignment? It's so critical, guys, because God told, you know, 00:18:17.960 --> 00:18:24.920 Abraham and Sarah, that he's going to give them a child. The promise has been given. Their 00:18:24.920 --> 00:18:35.080 assignment is to wait, not to do the human way. Yeah? God will have his way and God will do it. 00:18:35.080 --> 00:18:41.880 I mean, God's will will be done God's way, but the devil will always try to bring God's way 00:18:42.520 --> 00:18:49.640 in his way, which is like, he'll say that he'll bring what is true, what is God's will, 00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:55.480 which is not a bad thing, right? But it has to be gone. It has to be done God's way. 00:19:00.120 --> 00:19:07.480 Sometimes we get so caught up in the promises. When God said, I'm going to do this for you, 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:13.800 I'm going to do this for you, then we are hung up in that promise so much that we want that promise 00:19:13.800 --> 00:19:21.960 to happen so much, so desperate that we become desperate of the promise. And that's a dangerous 00:19:21.960 --> 00:19:28.920 place to be in, guys. When we are desperate for the promise keeper, for the promise giver, 00:19:28.920 --> 00:19:35.480 it's great. But when we are stuck with the promise of what's going to come, it's dangerous. Yeah? 00:19:36.120 --> 00:19:44.520 Sarah was caught up in the promise. Sarah wanted Isaac so much that she would bring in Hagar, 00:19:45.640 --> 00:19:52.680 who wasn't part of the plan. Yeah? So she wanted Isaac, but the human way. 00:19:56.600 --> 00:20:02.360 So it's important. Noah kept building. And like I said, we don't know the exact timeline, but it 00:20:02.360 --> 00:20:09.800 took a long, long time for Noah to build the ark. And he worked according to what God had said, 00:20:09.800 --> 00:20:18.200 what God had said, right? And so obedience will always sustain you and me in the silence. 00:20:19.800 --> 00:20:27.560 Obedience will sustain you in the silence. The absence of a new instruction doesn't mean that 00:20:27.560 --> 00:20:33.160 there's a change of plan. Right? Just because God had said that he'd build the ark, and then 00:20:33.160 --> 00:20:39.720 God has been silent for so many years, doesn't mean God has changed the plan. Right? So the 00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:48.040 absence of a new instruction does not mean that God had changed his plan. And this is important, 00:20:48.040 --> 00:20:55.960 guys. Because when we go through this moment of waiting, and we haven't seen the breakthrough, 00:20:55.960 --> 00:21:01.000 we feel like maybe God has changed plan. Maybe God has another plan for me. Maybe God has something 00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:06.440 else for me. Right? And then now, you know, our hearts are torn apart. Right? Now we're caught 00:21:06.440 --> 00:21:13.240 in between. But I would say that until and unless you receive a new instruction from the Lord, 00:21:13.880 --> 00:21:24.440 stay true to what has been previously said. Yeah? So the last word or say, the last thing God said 00:21:25.240 --> 00:21:29.320 is still the word until he gives you the next one. 00:21:32.200 --> 00:21:39.640 And so, you know, faithfulness is measured by not by activity, but by 00:21:40.360 --> 00:21:48.440 consistency in the obedience. Right? And so I would encourage us to write God-given assignment. 00:21:48.440 --> 00:21:52.680 Right? When God had promised you something, it's important that you write them down. Because 00:21:52.680 --> 00:21:59.800 sometimes we forget. Right? And it's good that we go back to what God had spoken. If someone had 00:21:59.800 --> 00:22:04.600 prophesied over your life, if someone had spoken words over you, it's important that you write 00:22:04.600 --> 00:22:12.040 somewhere. And so that you can go back. Right? And often return to it so that it'll center your 00:22:13.400 --> 00:22:19.320 your decisions, your habits, your relationships. Right? Because the wait becomes purposeful 00:22:19.960 --> 00:22:27.000 when you know what you're waiting for. The wait becomes purposeful when you know what you're 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:31.240 waiting for. Because oftentimes we're unsure of what we're waiting for. 00:22:34.600 --> 00:22:40.600 That's the first one. The second one is wait without wondering. 00:22:40.600 --> 00:22:51.000 Wondering. Wondering as in the blue a-n. D-e-r-i-n-g. Right? Wait without wondering. Narrow your focus. 00:22:51.000 --> 00:22:58.280 Right? Because when you're waiting, it's so easy to be distracted. Because in the waiting, 00:23:00.520 --> 00:23:06.040 we are not quite settled yet. Because you're waiting for something. Right? And so you are in 00:23:06.040 --> 00:23:14.200 this place of camping but not settled. And so what the enemy loves to do during these times is 00:23:15.640 --> 00:23:18.600 bring a counterfeit. Right? Bring something lesser. 00:23:20.760 --> 00:23:26.440 And if you compromise, you'll settle for something lesser. Right? So the other day we were talking 00:23:26.440 --> 00:23:37.480 about this in Lifehouse. But Lot, right? The nephew of Abraham, instead of camping closer 00:23:37.480 --> 00:23:45.480 and closer to Canaan, he started camping closer and closer to Sodom. Right? And if you read 00:23:46.040 --> 00:23:52.600 on and on, later on, he's not just camping closer and closer to Sodom, but later on you will find 00:23:53.560 --> 00:24:00.360 Lot even sitting at the gate of Sodom. He's already inside. Inside Sodom. Terrible, eh? 00:24:05.240 --> 00:24:11.000 Learn to focus. Right? When you are waiting and when you are not quite settled, 00:24:12.360 --> 00:24:18.680 there's a trap. There's a trap of compromising. There's a trap of the enemy bringing so many 00:24:18.680 --> 00:24:23.480 options. Right? If this doesn't work, try this, try this, try this, try this. Right? And now 00:24:24.520 --> 00:24:31.480 you are spreading yourself too thin. Right? You're trying everywhere. Yeah? You're trying 00:24:31.480 --> 00:24:38.280 to involve in a hundred things and that doesn't help. Hoping that somehow God will intervene. 00:24:38.280 --> 00:24:47.640 Right? It's like, Lord, I want a God-fearing husband. Or say a God-fearing wife who is loving, 00:24:48.200 --> 00:24:53.800 who is tall, who is dark, who is handsome. And then later on you say like, any man will do. 00:24:55.080 --> 00:25:07.480 Yeah? I hope that doesn't happen, eh? Had Elisha not focused on his master Elijah, 00:25:07.480 --> 00:25:17.320 he would have missed his double portion. Right? He had his laser focus on his master Elijah. Why? 00:25:17.320 --> 00:25:20.120 Because God is going to release his double portion through that man. 00:25:25.720 --> 00:25:31.560 You know, his master said, before I am taken away, what can I do for you? And he said, 00:25:32.120 --> 00:25:40.200 I want a double portion of what you have. And he said, that's a hard thing. Why? Because if I have 00:25:40.200 --> 00:25:48.040 two apples, I cannot give you four apples. Because two is all I have. And so he's asking 00:25:48.040 --> 00:25:54.680 twice of what he has. You know, Elijah does not have a double portion. He only has what God has 00:25:54.680 --> 00:26:01.080 apportioned him. And so the other portion has to come from God. Right? So he said, it's a difficult 00:26:01.080 --> 00:26:08.520 thing that you've asked. But then he said, if you see me taken up, know that it will be given to you. 00:26:08.520 --> 00:26:15.000 Right? Because he knows that will come from God. And so here's this assignment that if you see me 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:21.400 taken up, then you will receive your double portion. And you know what happens? Now, you know, 00:26:21.400 --> 00:26:27.560 Elijah wouldn't give up. Everywhere Elijah goes, he goes. Yeah? And you know, one pastor said, 00:26:28.600 --> 00:26:33.400 you know, Elijah wouldn't even let his master Elijah go to washroom alone. Yeah? 00:26:33.400 --> 00:26:39.640 Yeah. Yeah. Everywhere he goes, he goes. Yeah, he follows. And that, that would be weird, eh? 00:26:41.720 --> 00:26:46.520 If I want a double portion of Derek and follows everywhere Derek goes, yeah, 00:26:46.520 --> 00:26:50.360 I wouldn't allow even in this washroom, you know? But then, you know, one day, 00:26:51.320 --> 00:26:56.520 the crazy thing happens is that suddenly this chariot of fire, horseman of Israel came. 00:26:56.600 --> 00:27:05.640 And then took away his master. And, you know, his students, so to say, you know, Elijah cries out, 00:27:06.600 --> 00:27:12.760 my father, he's acknowledging something supernatural is happening. Right? And he says, 00:27:12.760 --> 00:27:20.200 father, father, the chariots of Israel. And he saw his master. Right? I always, I always read it 00:27:20.200 --> 00:27:25.080 this way. When I think of this story, I'm always thinking about chariots of fire, 00:27:25.080 --> 00:27:31.400 chariots of fire came and then took his master away. But then, as you read carefully, 00:27:32.440 --> 00:27:36.920 it's not the chariots of fire or the horseman of Israel that took his master away. 00:27:38.920 --> 00:27:45.880 He went up in a whirlwind, not in the chariots. Eh? And so the assignment was this, it's a, 00:27:46.520 --> 00:27:53.960 I'm sure it must have been a fascinating sight. Right? Comes chariots of fire. And the assignment 00:27:53.960 --> 00:27:59.240 was not on these fascinating sight, which can be a distraction, but his assignment was to see his 00:27:59.240 --> 00:28:08.840 master taken up. And yet this guy has this ability, eh? The ability in the midst of this fascinating 00:28:08.840 --> 00:28:14.520 extraordinary sight that's happening around him, he still has the ability to gaze on his master, 00:28:14.520 --> 00:28:19.800 on the assignment. Right? And you know what happens? He saw his master taken up, you know, 00:28:19.800 --> 00:28:25.720 in a whirlwind and then drops the mantle, picks it up and goes to River Jordan and then slams it. 00:28:25.720 --> 00:28:30.760 And he says, where is the God of Elijah? And then the water parts. Right? And the moment he crossed 00:28:30.760 --> 00:28:37.800 Jordan, now we begin to see that now people begin to see the spirit of Elijah is on Elisha. 00:28:38.440 --> 00:28:43.000 And he goes on and does twice as much as his master. Crazy story, guys. 00:28:49.800 --> 00:28:58.840 You know, if you remember, if you remember the story in, I think it's in Second Kings, Second Kings, somewhere 13. 00:29:01.320 --> 00:29:10.120 When Elisha told the king of Israel to shoot the arrow, right? And then this arrow, sorry, this, 00:29:10.920 --> 00:29:17.000 this king hit the ground three times. And then the prophet was angry with him. Why didn't you 00:29:17.000 --> 00:29:22.760 shoot more? Right? If you had hit the ground five, six times, you would have, you know, annihilated 00:29:22.760 --> 00:29:29.080 your entire enemy. But because you have, you have hit the ground only three times, you will only have 00:29:29.080 --> 00:29:38.040 temporary, three temporary victories. Right? I'm sure the king must have wanted to do a retest again. 00:29:38.840 --> 00:29:42.840 Right? But the sad part is that he didn't know that he was tested. 00:29:47.480 --> 00:29:53.080 Yeah. That's the hard part, guys. Oftentimes, God will test your heart. 00:29:54.760 --> 00:29:59.560 Not, not about judgment, not about right and wrong, not, not about judging, judging what's 00:29:59.560 --> 00:30:04.200 right, what's wrong. But oftentimes, God will test what's in your heart, what's in my heart. 00:30:04.920 --> 00:30:11.560 And, and such kind of tests, you don't have time to pray, you don't have time to think about it. 00:30:11.560 --> 00:30:19.480 But you don't even have time to do anything. Your heart just responds, eh? And that'll expose. 00:30:20.120 --> 00:30:30.120 And so came this test for, for Elijah and it's a, and now he was tested, but he was faithful. He 00:30:30.120 --> 00:30:37.560 kept on the assignment on the mantle. He received the mantle. And so the point of this is, is this. 00:30:38.520 --> 00:30:43.000 The mantle represents the anointing, right? Dropped, fell to the ground. 00:30:45.320 --> 00:30:51.960 So he was not, my point of sharing this is Elijah's waiting on the Lord is not 00:30:51.960 --> 00:31:00.600 passivity. It's not inactive. It is a single narrow focus that won't give up. His eyes was 00:31:00.600 --> 00:31:07.160 on the mantle, on the mandate of God. And it was intensely focused on the assignment. 00:31:07.160 --> 00:31:13.320 And this team reoccurs in the Bible again and again. Yeah. Jesus himself says, if your eye is 00:31:13.320 --> 00:31:20.920 single, know that your body will be full of light. Right? Your body will be full of light. 00:31:21.640 --> 00:31:29.240 Many Christians have their eyes on so many things. They want God, they want something else too. Yeah. 00:31:30.040 --> 00:31:36.440 And Jesus is saying, if your eye is single, know that your body will be full of light. 00:31:38.120 --> 00:31:46.040 Here's an important point. The enemy will bring destruction to derail your direction. 00:31:48.600 --> 00:31:54.200 The enemy will always try to bring destruction in order to replace or derail your direction. 00:31:58.360 --> 00:32:04.120 You know, Elijah kept his focus, completed the assignment, received the double portion. Crazy, eh? 00:32:07.560 --> 00:32:09.560 Next one. 00:32:12.360 --> 00:32:17.160 When we are waiting, it's easy to assume that we deserve to be served. 00:32:19.160 --> 00:32:22.760 Yeah. When we are waiting, we expect people to help us. 00:32:24.760 --> 00:32:29.640 When you're in need of money, you expect people to help you. When you are sick, when you're waiting 00:32:29.640 --> 00:32:34.600 for healing, you expect someone to do something for you. In the waiting, 00:32:34.600 --> 00:32:43.400 we expect. But the crazy part is, in the waiting, can you serve? 00:32:46.440 --> 00:32:52.120 In the waiting, can you serve? Yeah. Serve in the waiting. It's a crazy, 00:32:53.640 --> 00:32:59.960 God-ordained strategy and way of developing and muscling you and me, right? 00:32:59.960 --> 00:33:07.480 And when you look at the story of Joseph, you know, remember he had a dream. 00:33:08.760 --> 00:33:15.560 It was an amazing dream. But then what turned out was terrible, right? He was sold as a slave, 00:33:16.600 --> 00:33:22.120 now in prison. And you know what? In prison, instead of just sitting idly, even in prison, 00:33:22.120 --> 00:33:29.400 he begins to serve. I really love that. Yeah. In prison, of all the places, right? He begins to 00:33:29.400 --> 00:33:37.800 serve. Instead of waiting for him to be released and be out of jail first and then serve, even while 00:33:38.520 --> 00:33:47.560 in such a setting, he serves. Serving in the place of restriction will have positioned him 00:33:47.560 --> 00:33:55.800 for promotion. I really like that. Yeah. Let's take, you know, another example. 00:33:55.800 --> 00:34:05.160 You know, yesterday I was reading this and I got so emotional about this. It just overwhelmed me. 00:34:05.160 --> 00:34:12.920 I've never understood the weight of this. But in John chapter 13, when you read there, right? 00:34:12.920 --> 00:34:19.240 Jesus knew that his time is coming. He knew that the transfiguration, the way of the cross is so 00:34:19.240 --> 00:34:28.600 near. The hour has come. He knew that. And in that context, let me read it. In John chapter 13, 00:34:30.600 --> 00:34:37.000 verse two on words, the evening meal was in progress and the devil had already prompted Judas, 00:34:37.000 --> 00:34:43.640 the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the father had put all things under his 00:34:43.640 --> 00:34:50.200 power and that he had come from God and was returning to God. And here's this. He got up 00:34:50.200 --> 00:34:56.920 from the meal, took his outer clothing, wrapped a towel around his waist, and after that he poured 00:34:56.920 --> 00:35:03.640 water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with a towel that was wrapped 00:35:03.640 --> 00:35:11.160 around him. This happened on the night before his crucifixion. He knew the hour has come. 00:35:11.160 --> 00:35:18.280 He was waiting for the ultimate act of love through the cross. And you know what he did? 00:35:18.280 --> 00:35:32.600 He served. Crazy, eh? I thought it was a very appropriate time for the disciples to wash his 00:35:32.840 --> 00:35:43.800 feet and honor him. It was the other way around. I just felt the weight of that when I was writing 00:35:43.800 --> 00:35:58.280 this down. Wow. The son of man came to serve. Not to be served, but to serve. Crazy, eh? 00:35:58.280 --> 00:36:11.000 There are certain things that my wife and I are waiting for, praying for. And oftentimes, 00:36:12.600 --> 00:36:21.000 I expect people to jump in, help us. And this is a beautiful reminder how 00:36:21.960 --> 00:36:30.760 we are to serve in the waiting. Yeah. God on his knees starts washing his disciples' feet. 00:36:31.800 --> 00:36:39.800 Serving others isn't just an idea. If you are a son, you will serve. That's the crazy thing, eh? 00:36:39.800 --> 00:36:47.400 If you are not a son, you will refuse to serve. Why? Because without being a son, to serve is 00:36:47.400 --> 00:36:54.760 slavery. You will feel abusive, right? You will feel you are being manipulated. But then if you 00:36:54.760 --> 00:36:59.720 know that you are a son, it doesn't matter, right? You know your place. You know your rightful place. 00:37:01.320 --> 00:37:10.280 It takes, or say, it requires for a son to understand his identity in order to understand 00:37:10.280 --> 00:37:13.320 his identity in order to understand servanthood. 00:37:16.840 --> 00:37:19.960 Learn to give, eh? When you think that you should be receiving. 00:37:21.880 --> 00:37:28.680 Learn to build the ark of God when you want an ark for yourself. Because why? Because in the 00:37:28.680 --> 00:37:35.640 building of God's ark, God will build your ark. Yeah? And then the last one. 00:37:40.280 --> 00:37:50.040 David was anointed when he was a teenager. He was quite young, right? And then it took him 00:37:50.840 --> 00:37:56.200 quite a good number of years before he became the king of Israel. It took a long time. It wasn't 00:37:56.200 --> 00:38:04.440 instant, right? And so in these in-between times, he tended the sheep, he served his brothers, 00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:10.520 he served his brothers, served his father, dodged spears from Saul, 00:38:11.720 --> 00:38:17.480 hidden caves. And you know what? His waiting season became a training ground. 00:38:19.720 --> 00:38:27.400 He was training, yeah? You know, in the shepherd's field, he's learning how to worship, 00:38:28.360 --> 00:38:35.640 how to do warfare. In the wilderness caves, he learned humility, leadership, endurance, 00:38:35.640 --> 00:38:42.200 all these things, right? So God wasn't just preparing a king in the wilderness, but God is 00:38:42.200 --> 00:38:49.560 preparing his type of a king, a kind of a king, right? That God wanted, a man after his own heart. 00:38:49.640 --> 00:38:58.280 It's a different kind of shipping, right? And so this last point is formation in the hiddenness, 00:38:59.240 --> 00:39:05.800 formation in the hiddenness, right? Because these days, everybody wants to be a celebrity, 00:39:05.800 --> 00:39:12.360 everyone wants to go viral, right? Yeah? I want my song to be viral. 00:39:17.160 --> 00:39:19.640 Yeah, yeah, go ahead. 00:39:35.880 --> 00:39:43.880 Like using you, it's okay, but do you allow them to continue doing that or what do you do? 00:39:46.120 --> 00:39:49.640 Yeah, do you allow people to manipulate you? 00:39:51.800 --> 00:39:52.140 Yeah. 00:39:52.140 --> 00:39:59.020 Or should you do something about it? Because you said it's okay, but how do you proceed? 00:40:01.900 --> 00:40:06.780 No, I didn't say it's okay. Yeah, no. 00:40:12.300 --> 00:40:18.620 No, I'm saying, I said, if we don't understand sonship, then when you serve others, 00:40:19.180 --> 00:40:24.860 and when people tell you to serve, then it will feel like people are manipulating you, 00:40:25.820 --> 00:40:31.980 or you're being enslaved kind of thing. Yeah, but I'm saying, if I know that I'm a son, 00:40:31.980 --> 00:40:38.460 if I know that, say for example, say at home, say for example, when mom says, 00:40:39.020 --> 00:40:46.060 Toni, go and do the dishes, go and sweep the floor, clean your room, then I'm not offended. Why? 00:40:46.060 --> 00:40:53.100 Because that doesn't take away my sonship. So I'll gladly obey my mom when she tells me that. 00:40:53.100 --> 00:41:00.060 But if someone from the outside just comes and tells these things, and if I don't understand 00:41:00.060 --> 00:41:09.500 my sonship in the house, it's always misunderstood. In that context, I'm saying. Yeah? Cool, thanks. 00:41:10.300 --> 00:41:18.220 So yeah, my point of sharing this is, formation in the hiddenness, right? Because we always want to 00:41:18.220 --> 00:41:24.780 go out to the public too quickly. And I'm saying, even if there's a delay going into the public, 00:41:24.780 --> 00:41:32.300 it's okay. Let God form you in the hiddenness, right? Because it's easy for a church like X39 00:41:32.300 --> 00:41:38.540 to be like this, say like, hey, I've been coming to this. I should be in the leadership now. I 00:41:38.620 --> 00:41:44.940 should do more. I should, I'm not recognized. It's like, I deserve more kind of thing, you know? Or 00:41:44.940 --> 00:41:49.660 it can be here, it can be church, it can be workplace, it can be in the office, it can be 00:41:49.660 --> 00:41:56.940 anywhere, right? But I'm saying, do not accept premature promotion. It's dangerous, guys. Let 00:41:56.940 --> 00:42:03.500 God form you first in the hiddenness so that once you are out in the public, you have the character, 00:42:03.500 --> 00:42:11.260 you have the skills, you have the wisdom, you have what it requires to fulfill your destiny, 00:42:11.260 --> 00:42:20.780 your calling, right? Don't rush in promotion. Let God finish his work in you and then venture out, 00:42:21.340 --> 00:42:27.580 right? Because the throne or say the promise without character will often turn into a curse. 00:42:28.140 --> 00:42:37.340 And God, he will intentionally hide those and form in the hiddenness if he is to use them greatly. 00:42:39.500 --> 00:42:47.580 Oftentimes in the scripture, Joseph had a prophetic dream, right? He saw his sheaves higher than 00:42:48.380 --> 00:42:55.500 anyone else and then the sheaves of his brothers bowing to his. It was a prophetic dream, right? 00:42:55.740 --> 00:43:02.780 It was a prophetic dream. It was a great dream, you know, a dream that is designed for greatness. 00:43:03.820 --> 00:43:13.340 But soon found himself betrayed, enslaved, imprisoned, right? So there's a gap between 00:43:13.340 --> 00:43:21.740 the dream and the fulfillment and this gap was marked by injustice on one hand and the silence 00:43:21.740 --> 00:43:29.740 of heaven, right? Nobody seemed to be listening. God seemed to be silent, right? Because he had a 00:43:29.740 --> 00:43:41.500 dream and the exact opposite happens. And yet I love how Joseph reacted in the prison. Instead of 00:43:41.500 --> 00:43:49.660 being bitter, bitter towards God, Lord, what is this happening? Now I had this dream and things 00:43:49.660 --> 00:43:55.340 should have been different, right? Instead of being bitter towards God and towards Pharaoh and 00:43:56.300 --> 00:44:01.980 and all the jailers, instead of being bitter, he became better. 00:44:04.940 --> 00:44:11.980 He became better, right? He started to interpret dreams. He started to, you know, 00:44:12.060 --> 00:44:20.060 put things into action. And so God used every setback to forge resilience, wisdom, 00:44:21.020 --> 00:44:28.140 leadership, right? And so by the time when Joseph was able to, you know, interpret Pharaoh's dream, 00:44:29.100 --> 00:44:35.180 he wasn't just a dreamer. Those days have passed now, right? So by the time he interpreted Pharaoh's 00:44:35.180 --> 00:44:39.580 dream, he's now ready to steward a nation. Crazy, eh? 00:44:42.860 --> 00:44:46.140 Let's take another example. Yeah, I'll finish early. 00:44:50.060 --> 00:44:51.740 One example in the New Testament. 00:44:55.580 --> 00:45:00.620 Very little did we hear about Jesus, right? From age zero to 30. 00:45:00.780 --> 00:45:09.180 We hardly hear about Jesus those 30 years until he lived for 30 years and those next three years 00:45:09.180 --> 00:45:20.780 of his ministry, it exploded. Jesus lived 30 years in obscurity. Luke 2, you know, recorded a brief 00:45:22.220 --> 00:45:27.100 statement that Jesus grew in stature, in wisdom, and in favor with God and men, right? 00:45:27.100 --> 00:45:31.500 Luke recorded about Jesus that Jesus is constantly growing in the hiddenness, 00:45:32.220 --> 00:45:39.100 growing in stature, in wisdom, and in the favor of God and men. What if you're growing that way? 00:45:39.100 --> 00:45:45.660 Oftentimes, growth is not visible. Some growth are more visible, some are not. 00:45:46.780 --> 00:45:52.220 Do not just look at the outer appearance, not just look at some tangible growth, 00:45:52.220 --> 00:45:59.340 and say that you aren't growing fast enough. If your mind is forming, if your heart is forming, 00:45:59.340 --> 00:46:07.500 you can't tell, right? But the decisions that you're making is better now. The things that 00:46:07.500 --> 00:46:16.300 you're going about, your approach, your attitude. Earlier, somebody says this, it just triggers 00:46:16.540 --> 00:46:23.900 your anger, right? But then now you're able to control yourself. Now you're more patient, 00:46:23.900 --> 00:46:29.420 now you're more loving. Even the people that you don't appreciate or like so much, now you're able 00:46:29.420 --> 00:46:34.300 to appreciate them. You're able to see in a different lens, right? And so it's important, 00:46:34.300 --> 00:46:41.660 guys, that you allow God to form you in the hiddenness, right? And that's why you're able 00:46:41.900 --> 00:46:50.700 to do that. You allow God to form you in the hiddenness, right? Do not despise these days of 00:46:50.700 --> 00:47:02.460 hiddenness. Moses, he was hidden, and he was raised in a palace before he was exposed in the desert, 00:47:02.460 --> 00:47:11.260 right? Because in the hiddenness, strength is forged. 00:47:13.740 --> 00:47:21.100 Waiting seasons are not wasted seasons. Yeah? Like the imagery of what I shared 00:47:21.980 --> 00:47:28.620 earlier. Waiting is about intertwining yourself, twisting like a cord with the life of God, right? 00:47:28.620 --> 00:47:39.340 So that strength begins to rise. Like Noah, as we build in obedience, 00:47:40.940 --> 00:47:46.700 here's this beautiful thing. If we learn how to build in obedience, God will build in us the 00:47:46.700 --> 00:47:57.660 capacity to carry his promise. I really like that. God will give you the capacity to carry and birth 00:47:58.860 --> 00:48:06.460 his plans, his purposes, his promises. It's beautiful, guys. So I hope and I pray that 00:48:06.460 --> 00:48:14.940 let God shape your heart, deepen your roots, grow you strong enough to stand so that when the flood 00:48:14.940 --> 00:48:22.460 came, comes, you'll be able to stand. That's the point of growing and maturing in the Lord, eh? 00:48:22.460 --> 00:48:29.500 So that we are not tossed by the wind. And I want to end with this, delay is never denial, 00:48:30.940 --> 00:48:39.100 right? Delay is never denial. And so I want to go back to how I started Isaiah 40, verse 28, 00:48:40.140 --> 00:48:48.060 onwards, where it says, Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, 00:48:48.540 --> 00:48:54.700 the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary. And his understanding, 00:48:55.260 --> 00:49:01.740 no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak, even youths, 00:49:01.740 --> 00:49:08.700 grow tired and weary. And young men stumble and fall. But those who wait upon the Lord, 00:49:08.700 --> 00:49:13.980 they'll renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow 00:49:13.980 --> 00:49:22.940 weary. They will walk and not faint. We wait for the Lord and we do not wait in vain. Yeah? 00:49:23.500 --> 00:49:24.140 Bless you guys. 00:49:27.020 --> 00:49:34.620 Um, don't. Sorry. 00:49:44.540 --> 00:49:47.980 Father, we thank you for your word that was spoken. 00:49:50.380 --> 00:49:52.780 It's much required, Father, for some of us who are waiting. 00:49:55.900 --> 00:50:04.220 How to wait in you, Father. How not to wait. 00:50:04.220 --> 00:50:13.660 I pray, Father, that the words that you spoke and your spirit spoke through to me 00:50:14.780 --> 00:50:20.460 will bear much fruit. Father, I pray that patterns start to change. I mean, that's the whole point. 00:50:21.980 --> 00:50:27.740 Why else would you speak this to us tonight? That pattern start to change, where people who are 00:50:27.740 --> 00:50:33.580 waiting or who used to wait a different way, Father, will start to see a difference in the 00:50:33.580 --> 00:50:39.100 way their mind change. Because your spirit will start working in them, Father. Thank you for 00:50:39.100 --> 00:50:45.900 bringing these truth, truths into light so we can now see it. The knowledge of the truth will set 00:50:45.900 --> 00:50:54.380 us free. The knowledge of the waiting truth will now help us wait better in you. We can do this 00:50:54.380 --> 00:51:00.540 two ways, Father. And your way is what we choose. So we bless you, Father, and we thank you. In your 00:51:00.540 --> 00:51:05.260 precious name we pray. Amen. There will be somebody to pray for you guys, if you want prayer. 00:51:07.180 --> 00:51:09.820 Cool. See you guys.