Sermon #1371 Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit 1 BRAVE WAITING NO. 1371 A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORDS-DAY MORNING, AUGUST 26, 1877, BY C. H. SPURGEON, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON. “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” Psalm 27:14. THE Christian’s life is no child’s play. All who have gone on pilgrimage to the celestial city have found a rough road, sloughs of despond and hills of difficulty, giants to fight and tempters to shun. Hence there are two perils to which Christians are exposed—the one is that under heavy pressure they should start away from the path which they ought to pursue—the other is lest they should grow fearful of failure and so become faint-hearted in their holy course. Both these dangers had evidently occurred to David and in the text he is led by the Holy Spirit to speak about them. “Do not,” he seems to say, “do not think that you are mistaken in keeping to the way of faith. Do not turn aside to crooked policy. Do not begin to trust in an arm of flesh, but wait upon the Lord.” And, as if this were a duty in which we are doubly apt to fail, he repeats the exhortation and makes it more emphatic the second time, “Wait, I say, on the Lord.” Hold on with your faith in God. Persevere in walking according to His will. Let nothing seduce you from your integrity—let it never be said of you, “You ran well, what did hinder you that you did not obey the truth?” And lest we should be faint in our minds, which was the second danger, the psalmist says, “Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart.” There is really nothing to be depressed about. There is no real danger—you are safe while God lives and while Christ pleads and while the Spirit of God dwells in you. Therefore, be not dismayed, nor even dream of fear. Be not tim- orous and unbelieving, but play the man. “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart.” The object of our discourse this morning will be the encouragement of those who feel in any degree whatever dispirited and depressed on account of the hard places of the way or the opposition of the world. May the divine Spirit, whose peculiar office it is to be the Comforter of His people, now give the oil of joy to all who mourn and courage to all who tremble. We shall look at our text under four heads. First, God is to be waited on . Secondly, courage is to be maintained . Thirdly, waiting upon God will sustain courage and fourthly, experience has proven this — for David sets his own seal to the text when he says, “Wait, I say, on the Lord.” As much as to say—I have tried and proven the power of communion with God and therefore personally give my advice that you continually wait upon the Lord and you will be greatly strengthened. I. First, then, dear friends, GOD IS TO BE WAITED ON. That word, “wait,” is so exceedingly comprehensive that I quite despair of bringing out every shade of its meaning. The word “walk” de- scribes almost the whole of Christian life and so does this word “wait,” for rightly understood waiting is active as well as passive, energetic as well as patient and to wait upon the Lord necessitates as much ho- ly courage as warring and fighting with His enemies. We are to wait on, wait upon, and wait for the Lord, for it is written, “They that wait on the Lord shall inherit the earth.” “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” And, “Blessed are all they that wait for Him.” What do we mean, then, by “wait on the Lord”? I say, first, let us wait on the Lord as a beggar waits for alms at the rich man’s door. We are very poor and needy, laboring under such necessities that the whole world cannot supply what we require. Only in God is there a supply for the deep poverty of our souls. We have gone to His door, many of us, and knocked and waited, and in so doing, we have ob- tained very gracious answers. If others of us have not seen the door of mercy open to us, let us still wait at the posts of the Lord’s door, still knock and still hope for His salvation. Are you seeking the Savior and are you trusting Him, and have you not yet obtained the peace which comes with believing? Then Volume 23 Tell someone today how much you love Jesus Christ. 1 2 Brave Waiting Sermon #1371 with great persistence continue in prayer and wait on, remembering that the blessing is worth waiting for—it is such a treasure that if you had to wait for a lifetime to fully obtain it, you would be well repaid when it came. Wait, but knock as you wait, with fervent pleading and strong confidence, for the Lord Himself waits to be gracious to you. Agonize in desire and let not the knocker of heaven’s gate ever rest. Make the door of mercy resound again and again with your resolute blows upon it. The Lord is good to them that wait for Him. He will in due time answer you. It shall never be said that any were sent away empty from His gate. He has not spoken in secret in a dark place of the earth, nor said unto the seed of Jacob, “Seek you My face in vain.” Pray on, believe on, and as surely as God’s promise is true, He will in due time grant you conscious salvation, your head shall be lifted high above your enemies round about you, and you shall rejoice with unspeakable joy and full of glory. The devil bids you cease from prayer. He tells you that the little faith you have will never save you. Do not believe him. Stand fast, pray on, believe on, expect on—though the vision tarry, wait for it—it shall come, it shall not tarry. The Lord grant you grace to wait in all humility, for what are you but a beggar and beggars must not be choosers. It is good that a man both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of God, for they shall not be ashamed that wait for Him. To cling to the cross, to rest at the altar of our Lord’s atonement is the safest course. Believingly to wait upon the Lord, pleading the all-prevailing name of Jesus, is the suppliant’s best posture. I trust many in the house of God this morning have passed from this stage to the next—they wait as learners for instruction. The disciple waits at His Master’s feet and according as the Teacher chooses to speak, so the disciple’s ears are opened. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet. Some stand in the crowd and listen a little and soon they are gone, but the true disciple abides in the school and waits to hear what his Master will say. We bow down at His feet with this humble resolve that whatsoever He says we will hear and whatever His doctrine, precept, or promise may be, we will drink it all in with intense delight. The pu- pils of the old philosophers were apt to walk in the groves of Academia till the wise men were ready to come and speak with them, and when any one of the wise men began to speak, the young disciples qui- etly followed his steps, eagerly catching up every precious sentence which he might utter. Much more should it be so with us towards our Lord Jesus. Let us follow Him in every page of inspiration, study every line of creation, and learn of Him in all the teachings of His providence. Let us catch the faintest whisper of His Spirit and yield to each divine impulse. “Wait, I say, on the Lord.” If you are to be in- structed disciples it must be by a diligent, patient, persevering waiting upon Him who is the fountain of all knowledge and the sun of all light. May we never outrun our Master by conceited speculations and vain imaginations, but may we wait till He speaks and be content to remain in ignorance unless He chooses to withdraw the veil. A third form of this waiting will come out under the figure of waiting as a servant waits upon his lord. A true servant is anxious to know what his master wishes him to do and when he once knows it, he is happy to undertake it and carry it through. In great houses, certain servants inquire of the master in the morning, “Sir, what are your orders for the day?” Imitate this and when you rise in the morning, always wait upon your Lord to know what are His commands for the day. Say, “Show me what You would have me do. Teach me Your way, O Lord. Lead me in a plain path. Inform me as to what to seek and what to shun, for my will is to do Your will in all things.” Notice how maid-servants watch their mistresses when they are waiting at table or serving about the house. A word is enough and sometimes a look or a nod of the head is all the direction needed.