God Is Working While You’re Waiting

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Hard Questions

God Is Working While You're Waiting By Rick Warren — Aug 7, 2015 “I wait expectantly, trusting God to help, for he has promised.” (Psalm 130:5 TLB) God wants you to wait patiently for him to answer your prayer, but he also wants you to wait expectantly. Have faith. Trust God to hear and to answer. When you wait expectantly, you show God that you believe his promises. You believe he’s going to keep his word. Daniel Boone, the famous frontiersman, was once asked, “Have you ever gotten lost in the wilderness?” He said, “No, I’ve never been lost. I’ve been bewildered for weeks at a time, but I’ve never been lost.” Some of you may feel bewildered right now. You’re bewildered about your marriage: “I’m praying for it to get better, but it’s not getting any better.” You’re bewildered about your career: “Do I go up, down, change jobs?” You’re bewildered about relationships. You may feel powerless and hopeless and like you can’t do anything to change your situation on your own. You’re bewildered. Don’t be discouraged! Don’t give up! Look up. Turn to prayer. I have had many, many requests in my life that I’ve prayed to God that have never been answered. I can think of one prayer that I have prayed almost every day for 24 years, and it hasn’t been answered. I don’t know why God hasn’t chosen to answer that prayer, and I don’t understand it. But I have decided this: Whether or not God ever answers that prayer, I am going to die believing his promises. Because God is a good God, and he knows what’s best, even when I don’t understand it. When God doesn’t answer your prayers, you need to remember a couple very important truths. First, God is in control, and you’re not. He knows better what you need than you do. There is no mountain too tall that he can’t move it. There is no problem so big that he can’t solve it. There is no sorrow so deep he cannot soothe it. God is in control, and he has a plan. The second thing you need to remember is that, whether or not you ever receive your answer, God will honor your patience — if not in this world then in eternity. “I wait expectantly, trusting God to help, for he has promised” (Psalm 130:5 TLB). PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over What promises of God can you claim while you wait for him to answer your prayer? How has God shown his faithfulness to you in the past? What do you expect God to do in your life? How do your expectations reflect his greatness? Our Gift: God's Answers To Life's Difficult Questions Rick Warren takes you to the Bible for answers to 12 of life's toughest questions. Drawing from the examples of different biblical characters who faced the same issues, Warren offers concise, practical insights you can understand and apply in order to move past hardships and experience a life of purpose and significance. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren Hard Questions teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: How Can I Know God's Will? Message 2: ​​Why Do I Do What I Don't Want To Do? Message 3: ​​How Long Should I Keep Praying? Message 4: ​​How Can I Stop Worrying? PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at rickwarren.org. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional © 2015 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe