The Waiting Room - Psalm 40
Advent 2024 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Last year, I was sitting in the waiting room at an oncology center with someone I love, and we were all fearing the worst. As I looked around that waiting room, I saw a pregnant woman with a worried look on her face on one side of the room and an elderly man trying to comfort a younger man on the other side. Every person in that crowded room felt as though their whole lives were hanging in the balance. It was a place where it felt like time froze.
It occurred to me that life is filled with waiting rooms. I read one statistic this week that says the average person spends six months of their lives in waiting rooms. And, often, these are the most frustrating and terrifying experiences we have, aren’t they? And, it’s not hard for us to relate our experience in waiting rooms to our walk with God. It feels like we’re always waiting on him, doesn’t it? In fact, it’s quite likely that the prayers we pray in waiting rooms are even more fervent than the prayers we pray in church. So, the question that I want to ask you this morning is: Is this time a waste? Is all of this waiting and all of these waiting rooms a waste of our lives? Is all of the time we spend waiting on God a waste?
God’s Word
God’s Word
Well, the point that I want to make this morning is that we can waste it, or we can invest it. We can use our waiting time as an opportunity to grow in depth, or we can waste it so that it does neither us nor anyone else any good. And, I have in mind more than reading a good book while you wait for your name to be called.
(show chiasm) Waiting is the central theme of Psalm 40. You’ll notice that David begins talking about how he used to be waiting. In fact, in Hebrew it’s doubled stated, “I expected expectedly” could be a good translation. It was an intense and frustrating season in the waiting room where he was in a “miry pit” and could not escape. And, you’ll notice that David concludes by saying he’s waiting again. “Do not delay, O my God!” Psalm 40 is structured as a chiasm, which means there are these corresponding parts that are meant to build up to the middle and then digress away from the middle. The middle is the main point. So, you could summarize verses 1-5 as David saying: “I used to be waiting, and God came through.” And, you could summarize verses 14-17 as David saying: “I’m still waiting, and I know that God will come through.”
And, those summaries are a pretty good synopsis of Advent. We were waiting on the Messiah to come, and Jesus came, died for our sins, and was raised from the dead. But, we are still waiting on Jesus to return so that his resurrection is fully applied to us. But, because He came through in the first Advent, we know He will come through again in the second Advent. So, the main point of Psalm 40 comes from verses 6-13, and it presents us with the main question that I want to ask this morning: What do we do in the meantime? (headline)What do we do when we’re in the waiting room waiting on Jesus to make things right? David is telling us what he did during the waiting, and he shows you that you should:
“Tend” your “heart.”
“Tend” your “heart.”
Psalm 40:6–8 “In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.””
1 Samuel 15:22 “And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.”
1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.””
Verses 6-8 draw a contrast between the worship that often receives and the worship God loves, the worship that truly glorifies him. The sacrifices that are described in verse 6 are people simply going through the motions of the rituals, doing what God said because they have to, and God has not “delighted” in them. But, in verse 7, David returns to the call of God on the life of the king and he remembers that God’s “delight” is a heart that “delights” in him. The same Law is kept, the same sacrifices are made, but they are a mere outward expression of an inward passion.
The heart had always been a significant teaching point in the life of David. God tore the kingdom away from Saul (1 Samuel 15:22) because he offered a sacrifice improperly to God. He had disobeyed God and revealed his heart was far from him. So, God did not “delight” in his sacrifice. And, David was chosen as his successor. Why? Because “the Lord looks on the heart.” So, God had taken particular delight in David’s worship because his outward worship was an expression of his inward heart. So, Saul and David show us the heart God rejects, and the heart God accepts.
“Delight,” not “drudgery.”
But, in verse 7, when David “come(s)” to the scroll, it’s a picture of him returning to where he started. He had allowed his heart to grow distant. The “man after God’s own heart” somewhere along the way he just started going through the motions. He was doing what he was supposed to do because he was supposed to do it, not because he loved to do it.
Just going through the motions is the easiest trap in the world to fall into when you’re in the waiting room. You’re waiting on the right husband or wife, you’re waiting on the job you need, or you’re waiting on the baby to come, or the pain in your back to subside, and you begin so strong. Praying and trusting, trusting and praying. But, over time, your heart grows cold, even if your lips still mouth the same prayers. Your trust wanes and your delight subsides. You just start going through the motions. It’s the spiritual equivalent of just scrolling FB on your phone in the waiting room — a waste of time.
And, when David recognizes his spiritual scrolling, he realizes that he has failed to tend his heart. He’s allowed his affections to cool, and his delight is gone. God has no interest in ritualistic, mechanical obedience, and that’s good news. Because that’s drudgery, and what God is after is your delight in him. It’s misery. (Show quote on screen) John Piper’s words in Desiring God set my heart on fire in 2010: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” (Aha! moment for me — help shape virtually everything I do and who our church would become — your aha! moment?)
That is, God doesn’t take joy in your misery or your guilt or your constantly feeling ashamed because of what a poor Christian you are, even if it compels you to do otherwise good things like reading your bible, going to church, or giving to your church. That’s the brand of Christianity that too many have grown up under, and it’s exactly what this is speaking against. What God take pleasure in are those who find him so totally satisfying that they are constantly seeking new ways to enjoy him more and to express it passionately. They don’t have to live crushed under the expectations of their parents or their peer group or Instagram. Their happiness isn’t contingent upon getting the ideal job or going on exotic vacations or having the perfect family. Their happiness is totally secured by the joy they find in God himself. Everything else in life is simply a gift given by him to increase our gratitude and joy in him.
“Grace,” not “guilt.”
My promise to you on the first Sunday I was your pastor was that we were going to build a ministry based on grace and not guilt. And, that’s the difference between ritual and “delight.” One fuels, and the other drains. One emboldens, and the other stifles. One sustains, and the other crushes. Well, let me ask you: How are we doing? We must tend our hearts. Is your giving mechanical? Is your singing ritual? Has your sermon listening turned to scrolling? Are your devotionals “have to” instead of “get to?” Tend your heart, and stoke the fires of your affections. Because God doesn’t want you to serve him miserably. He’s too good and kind and loving for that. He wants you to enjoy him happily.
In the mean time, while you wait, tend your heart, and…
“Help” others “wait.”
“Help” others “wait.”
Psalm 40:9–10 “I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.”
Ephesians 5:19 “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,”
When we were in that oncology waiting room and I saw the elderly man comforting and encouraging the clearly distraught younger man, I remember thinking: we all need that man in our life. And, we all need to be that man in the lives of others. David feels that responsibility in Psalm 40. Yes, David is in the waiting room himself, and he’d rather not be there. But, David has been in the waiting room before, and he saw how God came through. So, he’s further along with more experiences than those who are waiting for the very first time, and David recognizes that he has a responsibility to tell the “glad news,” “not restrain (his) lips,” and not conceal God’s “steadfast love” and “faithfulness from the great congregation.” That is, David recognizes that while he waits, he has a responsibility to help others wait.
Your “faith” is for others.
A countercultural message: Your walk with God is not just about you and God. It has something to contribute to the whole, other sojourners, others in waiting the waiting room, and you’re responsible to do so. It’s striking, isn’t it? David went from emphasizing the private aspect of his faith in verses 6-8, but then that leads to a public pronouncement of that faith in verses 9-10. We live in such an individualistic society that we’ve so overemphasized personal faith that we’ve completely abandoned the importance of public faith. Many Christians have privatized their faith in such a way that’s led to them mystisize-ing church.
(Plug Connection — heartbeat of our Connection Groups — inviting into joy) A while back I was meeting with a young man who said: “I go to church in a tree stand. My best time with God is in the cold, quiet morning with my Bible.” This is mysticize-ing the church, and I want you to think about what it says. It says, “My relationship with God is about MY relationship with God.” There’s no one there to help him understand and apply the Bible. There’s no one there bring correction in his life when he goes wayward or to share wisdom with him when he needs it. And, further still, he’s not there to help others understand or stay the path or to share wisdom. So, I shared with this young man that he needed men like Dale Turner in his life. He needs someone who has suffered that can help him through suffering. He needs someone that can help him build guardrails around his life with wisdom. He needs someone to turn to when life doesn’t make sense. A month later, this young man experienced a tremendous loss in his life, and the only thing he knew to do was to turn to the church, a church that he didn’t really know and that didn’t really know him. But, suddenly, the need was recognized.
Your “praise” is for others.
You see, by privatizing our faith and mysticize-ing the church, we have forfeited one of the primary means of grace that God has given us to sustain us through our waiting. Contemporary Christian Music has lied to us. Your worship is not for an “audience of one.” Your worship is for God’s glory. Yes! But, that’s not all. Your worship is not just for God’s glory; your worship is for my good, my encouragement, my perseverance. Paul doesn’t say to sing all of your praise to God in private. He says — like David — to join with the congregation and address “ONE ANOTHER in psalms hymns and spiritual songs.” Your worship isn’t for an audience of one. It’s for a congregation to be encouraged. (possibly talking about the Champions made me feel — twins in early service to delight in the Lord — prob doesn’t always feel like a light — led my heart to the Lord after they may have thought “Why am I even here?”)
David says, “I have not concealed your steadfast love.” Now, love can only be known as “steadfast” when it gone through some stuff and made it to the other side. That is, you really learn that God loves you through experience over time. But, it doesn’t always have to be YOUR experiences that teach you of God’s steadfast love. That’s the purpose of rituals, actually. The Jews celebrated the Passover so that every generation could learn from past experiences how dependable God is. That’s part of what’s happening when we join for the Lord’s Supper. We’re telling the story of Jesus’ first Advent and the experience of God’s providing the Messiah. And, that’s the place for testimony.
When Andrew and I were in our early 20’s, we started meeting every week at McDonald’s for Bible study. Well, it just so happened that at that at same McDonald’s, one of the senior adult men in our church, Mr. Borchard, also went every week. And, it became a regular occurrence for him to sit down with us and testify to us the truth of what we were reading by his own experience. He left us, every week, more on fire and more confident in Jesus’ love. We need Mr. Borchards, and we need to be Mr. Borchards. Life is HARD. Waiting is HARD. We have to commit to helping one another as a true family of faith, not consumers of religious products that are easily replaced.
And, we’re really helping one another to…
“Hope” in “God.”
“Hope” in “God.”
Psalm 40:11–13 “As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me! For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me!”
What I love about David in so many of the Psalms, including here in Psalm 40, is that he’s real about how hard life is and how hard waiting is. Verse 12 is an expression of that. Verse 12 includes everything that can go wrong in your life — “evils have encompassed me.” These “evils” include when people mistreat you or abuse you. These “evils” include when your husband or wife cheats on you and abandons you. They include when I child forsakes you. David had experienced all of these. But, verse 12 also includes all the wrong that you’ve done in your life. David says: “My iniquities…are more than the hairs on my head.” The “man after God’s own heart” says that his “heart fails” him.
God’s “mercy” is bigger than our “brokenness.”
So, how does David make it through the waiting room when very often the waiting includes so much “evil” done to us and done by us? Well, he tells us in verse 11. The Lord does not “restrain” his mercy. God’s mercy isn’t rationed. His mercy isn’t a reservoir to be run dry. It’s a spring that bubbles up fresh every day. That is, David’s unending brokenness and immeasurable sinfulness finds hope in God’s bottomless mercy.
Our “hope” is bigger than our “problems.”
David’s problems were big, but his hope was bigger. This is the week of Advent that we celebrate peace. And, the only way that you can experience any measure of peace in the waiting room is by having a hope that’s bigger than the problems you face — including the ones you self-inflict.
Years ago, I got up early to go to UAB to pray with Joe Dudrow. Joe was preparing to have brain surgery on a tumor that had showed up out of seemingly nowhere, and his prognosis was not good. We ended up sitting together in the waiting room, along with his sister, for well over an hour as we waited for him to be called back for his surgery. I had never met Joe before that morning, but we bonded almost instantly. He was one of the happiest men that I had ever met. In a way that wasn’t contrived or forced or in denial, Joe shared testimony after testimony, story after story of how good God had been to him, and we laughed through tears the whole morning. Joe had lived a hard life, and he didn’t have much. No one here would have aspired for the home he had or the job he had or the savings he didn’t have. But, every one of you would love to have the peace and joy that Joe had. And, Joe shared with me his secret. It was the same secret that I was honored to share at his funeral a few months later. “God is good when we aren’t good, and God will be good when life isn’t good.” I can only imagine Joe’s smile as he beheld his resurrected Lord.
That is, Joe’s problems were big, but his God was bigger. And, that’s what the first Advent promises us. Hebrews 10 quotes Psalm 40, and it says that it finds its hope and fulfillment in Jesus. Our problems were big, and God wanted an obedience and worship that was purer than we could ever provide. Sacrifices of bulls and rams wouldn’t do. So, God sent Jesus — a man really after God’s own heart — as a sacrifice on our behalf and as a sacrifice that was sufficient for “iniquities” more numerous than the hairs on our heads. And, in the process, he verified that there’s no problem you have that is bigger than the God who has you. And, that hope is big enough to transform your waiting into anticipating how God will make it right and when He will send Jesus back for us.
