Latest / Women At The Well: REJOICE / Episode 41-Holding On While Waiting for God

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Episode 41-Holding On While Waiting for God · Women At The Well: REJOICE

• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Brand rising sisters.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: It is good to see one more day.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: We are thankful that God has allowed us to see this brand new day.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: You see, yesterday is a memory, and tomorrow is not promise.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: But today, God has blessed us to rise and give him glory.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: We are blessed.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: So give God some praise this morning.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Tell him thank you for one more day for waking us up.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Lord.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Rose.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: And thank you for joining us at the well this morning.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Sisters, you may be waiting for deliverance today.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: You may be watching and waiting as a loved one prepares to meet God.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: You may be waiting for your finances to improve, for an employment opportunity, or for a promotion on your job.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: Whatever you are facing, hold on.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: Don't give up on God.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: You see, waiting can bring questions, weariness, discouragement, and even tears.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: That is why we need encouragement from His Word and from one another.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: So grab your coffee, tea, lemon water, or whatever you enjoy drinking.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: And don't forget your Bible and come sit at the well as we learn to keep holding on while waiting for God.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Let us pray.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of one more day and for bringing us together at the well this morning.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: Father, you know what each sister is waiting for, and you know the burdens that they carry.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: As we open your word today, open our hearts to receive your encouragement.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, give us ears to hear and hearts to receive.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: Give us courage to trust and strength to hold on to you.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Meet each sister who is weary, comfort the sister who is grieving, and guide the sister who does not know what to do next.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, help us recognize your presence while we wait.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: And we thank you that you are always with us, even in the waiting.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: In Jesus' name we pray.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Now, sisters, our thing for October is holding on while waiting for God.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: Our foundational scripture will be Psalms 27:14.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: I am going to read Psalms 27, 14 from the King James Version.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: It says, wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Wait, I say, on the Lord.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: Notice that the scripture begins with an instruction to wait.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: And it closes by telling us to wait again.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: In between, it reminds us to be courageous and tells us that God will strengthen our hearts.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: God knows that waiting can be hard.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we begin with hope, but as time passes, we become tired.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: We wonder, Lord, have you heard me?
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, do you see what I'm going through?
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, help me.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: This scripture gives us something to hold on to.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: While we wait on the Lord, we can look to Him for the strength to keep going.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: You see, holding on does not mean we never feel weary.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: It means we keep bringing our weary hearts to God.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: Let's look at a woman in Scripture whose story will help us understand this.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: In the first chapter of Luke, we meet Elizabeth, who would become the mother of John the Baptist.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Scripture describes Elizabeth and her husband Zacharias as righteous before God and blameless in their obedience to his commandments.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yet they had no children, and both were advanced in age.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: Sisters, notice this.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Elizabeth's difficult situation did not mean she was unfaithful to God.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: She was walking with God even while caring an unfulfilled longing.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine wanting a child and watching the years pass.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine growing older while that desire still remains in your heart.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: But one day, while Zacharias was serving in the temple, the angel Gabriel appeared to him.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: Gabriel told him that God had heard his prayer and that Elizabeth would bear a son.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: They were to name him John.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Later in Luke 1, verses 24 through 25, it tells us, and after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus had the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me to take away my reproach among men.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: Elizabeth recognized God's mercy and what had happened to her.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: In time she gave birth to her son John.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: Her story encourages us to keep trusting God through the passing years.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: It also reminds us that we cannot measure God's care for us by how quickly our circumstances change.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: Our stories may unfold differently from Elizabeth's, but we can bring our longings to the same faithful God.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: And while we wait for circumstances to change, we also need strength for the life we are living today.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: Now that brings us to Isaiah 40, 31.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: I get happy about this scripture.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: It says, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: They shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: They shall walk and not faint.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: Sisters, this is a promise of renewed strength.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: We may not know when an answer will come or what the answer will look like, but we can look to God to sustain us.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes we need strength to take a big step.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: Other times we need simply to get out of bed, go to work, make a necessary phone call, or sit beside someone we love.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: Whatever today requires, bring that need to God.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: Ask him, Father, give me strength for this day.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: Help me take the next step.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: So what can we do while we wait?
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: Keep praying honestly.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: Tell God what is on your heart.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: Keep reading his word.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: Let his truth encourage you when your feelings become overwhelming.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: Keep taking the steps available to you.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: Apply for the job.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: Ask for help.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Make the plan.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: Or reach out to someone who can support you or reach out to someone who you may need to support.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: Waiting on God can include faithful actions and you need to keep encouraging one another.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes a sister needs someone beside her just to say, I'm praying with you.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: You do not have to carry this along.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: Sisters, we can rejoice in God's faithfulness, even before we see how our situation will unfold.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: He can strengthen us, guide us, and sustain us through the waiting.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: Hold on to his word.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: Hold on to his faithfulness.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: Hold on to the God who can strengthen your heart.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: Wait, I say, on the Lord.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: Well, sisters, let's take a moment to rejoice in the God who is with us while we wait.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: We may want the whole answer today.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: We may want the door to open right now.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: But even in this moment, we can thank God for hearing us.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: We can thank him for strength today.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: Wisdom for the next step.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: And his presence when the way ahead is unfair.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: So it reminds us to take time and wait for the Lord.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: So let's read.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: Release what we can sell this morning and praise them together.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: Father, thank you for being here.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you that we can place our hopes and our questions in your hand.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: Father, thank you that we do not have to face this day alone.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Renew our strength, encourage our hearts, and help us keep holding on while we wait.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: We rejoice.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: We rejoice in your faithfulness today.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: Father, thank you for leading us in the way.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: You know the prayers each sister carries and the answers she hopes to receive.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: Give us courage when we feel like so.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: Strength when we feel tired, and wisdom for the steps to take in front of us.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, help us listen for your guidance, and trust your care today.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: Come for those who agree.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: Provide for those who are strong.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: Encourage those who feel for God.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: And surround them with people who will offer love and support.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: Father, help us.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: Hold on, my God.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for doing our truth.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: And help us walk and not thank you.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_00: Trust in you one day at a time.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: In Jesus' name.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: As we prepare to leave the world, hold on.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: While you are waiting for God, continue praying and reading scripture to stay encouraged.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: In your prayer time, bring him your unresolved problems and situations.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: Ask him for wisdom and take the next faithful step.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: Before we go, let's return to Luke's account.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: When Mary visited Elizabeth, Elizabeth encouraged her with these words in Luke 1.45.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: And blessed is she that believed, for there shall be a performance of these things which were told her from the Lord.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: Elizabeth was speaking to Mary about what the Lord had promised her.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: As we reflect on these words, let's remember that God is faithful to his word.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: Sisters, keep trusting him.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: Keep bringing your heart to him.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: Keep holding on while waiting for God.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining me at the well.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Rose, your host.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, this water is living and this well will never, ever run dry.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: Be blessed.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: Peace.