Knowing Jesus,
making Jesus known
making Jesus known
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Web manager Simon Ford
Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the First and the Last,
the Beginning and the End.”
Rev 22.13
the First and the Last,
the Beginning and the End.”
Rev 22.13
EDGE Autumn 2006 - Water Walking 6…
Welcome
Play the Waiting game
Ensure no-one can see or hear a watch/clock, then say that each person has got to say when they think 3 minutes is up. Note down the times people say.
Give a prize (chocolate snack or similar) to the person who got closest. Tell them that if they don’t eat it until the end of the study they will get two bars (twice whatever you gave them)
Worship
Read Philippians 2:6-11 and pray! Perhaps if you are feeling bold go round the group, with each person reading a verse then praying about it.
Word
For one final time (well maybe once more next time) read through the account from Matthew 14:22-33. This time note all the times Matthew uses a ‘time connective’ word or phrase.
What impression does this give of the passage?
And yet what do we notice about time in relation to the storm? Note the big pause between verse 23 and 24?
The disciples had to wait for what they really wanted.
How good are we at waiting?
For Christmas, in lunch queue, in doctor’s waiting room?
Why do you think that Jesus made them wait for what they wanted?
What are the more serious things that we might have to wait for?
(eg single person waiting for marriage partner, childless couple waiting to start a family, etc. etc.)
Why does the God who is all-powerful and all-wise keep us waiting. Why does he say “be still and wait for the Lord”
Think of some of the heroes of faith and how they had to wait…
Abraham 75 when told he would be Father of a nation (24 years later…)
Moses would lead people into Promised Land (40 years later…)
David told he would be King (years later after Saul…)
Would you say waiting is an important skill?
An experiment with 4 year olds took place once, where they were left in a room with a marshmallow… they could choose to eat it, or if they waited until the person came back they would have 2 marshmallows! Those who were able to wait grew up to be more socially competent, more able to cope with stress and less likely to give up under pressure. The marshmallow grabbers grew up to be compulsive people… in relationships, drug use, food…
So what does it mean to wait on the Lord?
It is not doing nothing!
It is a patient trust
What does this mean? What does it mean we don’t do (get frustrated and do stupid things!)
Apparently trapeze artists show patient trust. If you are the flyer, once you let go of your trapeze and are flying through the air, you can’t speed up the catch, in fact the worse thing you can do is to try and catch the catcher… you simply have to have patient trust that at the right time, the catcher will catch you! Have you stepped out in trusting God… you’ve left your boat but are yet to be caught by God’s hand. Will you wait in patient trust?
It is confident humility
It is the lower status person who has to wait for the one with power or money. So as we wait on the Lord it is good to remember that it is God who is in charge, he has the power, we are waiting on him. (that’s the humility)
We know he will answer, he will come (that’s the confidence)
It requires inextinguishable hope
Read Isaiah 40:28-31 (please note that verse 31 ‘should’ read… those who wait on the LORD)
We can have hope in Jesus and that he will enable us to keep going, to endure because we are waiting on him. Let no-one extinguish that!
Witness
It has been said that “what God does in us while we wait is as important as what we are waiting for.
You may want to tell each other the deep things that you are waiting for, alternatively simply pray for each other to be good waiters!