Waiting On God

Leader: Today our verse in “Ten For Life” is Isaiah 40:31. (All of a sudden the music theme from “NFL On Fox” or “Monday Night Football” begins playing. Referee Ricky comes running in blowing his whistle over and over)

Ricky: (running through the room, pushing out of the way any item or person in his way) Look out, people! I have things to do, places to go, people to see!

Leader: Hey there, Ricky!

Ricky: No time to talk! Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go!

Leader: Why are you in such a hurry?

Ricky: (blows his whistle) What’s the matter, you deaf? I said I don’t have time to chit-chat! I’m a busy man—things to do, places to go, people to see!

Leader: Well, hold on a second, would you? We were kind of hoping to get a report on how things went this week at your Bible Study.

Ricky: You mean C.R.A.M.P.? Christian Referees Are Magnificent People?

Leader: Right. Isn’t that the Bible Study you attend every week?

Ricky: Well, yes and no. Yes, I do attend that Bible Study. NO, I did not attend this week. Too busy! Things to see, people to go, places to do.

Leader: Wait, don’t you mean “Things to do, places to go, people to see?”

Ricky: (blows whistle) Never correct a referee when he’s in a hurry!

Leader: (holding ears) OK, well I have one question. Don’t you think it’s a little dangerous to be in such a hurry that you don’t have time to study the Bible?

Ricky: Dangerous? What are you talking about? There are a lot of times that I get too busy to study the Bible...or pray...or go to church. I gotta keep going! I have too much to do! I can’t afford to slow down!

Leader: Well, aren’t you worried about going so fast so long that you burn out?

Ricky: What do you mean, BURNOUT? I don’t know the meaning of the word burnout!

Leader: Well, if you keep going like you’re going you might just find out the meaning of the word the hard way!

Ricky: (blows his whistle) What are you talking about? You’re going to have to explain. But, do it in a hurry!

Leader: What I am talking about is the fact that if we try to go, and go, and go in life without stopping to take time to spend in God’s presence, we are going to run out of strength eventually. We need to slow down and spend some time with God so we can renew our strength. Otherwise, if we don’t, we run the risk of burning out. Tell you what—I want you to watch our Power Verse with Dr. Boing and Dr. Von Hinklesnot! I think it might help you get it!

Ricky: Wow! So, waiting on God actually gives me strength? I always thought it was just something that slowed me down. But, I should have realized I can’t do without it.

Leader: That’s right. It’s in God’s presence that we find new strength. He fills us with the strength we need to do what He calls us to do.

Ricky: Thanks so much for setting me straight on this. I almost made a big mistake! I am not going to keep going full steam ahead so much that I ignore God’s presence. I am going to slow down and WAIT on God!

Leader: Great idea! I’m glad you have learned to do that.

Ricky: Know what else I learned how to do?

Leader: What’s that?

Ricky: This! (blows whistle) Woo hoo! I’ll see you later, kids! (theme song plays as he runs out of the room blowing his whistle)

It’s time to learn today’s lesson, kids.

(all of a sudden, just stop where you are, grab the clock, begin to stare at it, and don’t say a word. Look at the kids with a blank look on your face. Maybe even tap your foot and look at your watch. Wait for about thirty seconds before you say another word. The kids will most likely get antsy. That’s ok. It will help your illustration. After making them wait in silence for thirty seconds—or more if you are just plain mean—break the silence)

Waiting! It’s something that none of us like to do. Waiting is one of the hardest things to do.

Ever been to the doctor’s office and had to sit in the WAITING room? Isn’t that the most boring thing ever? Or maybe you’ve been in the line with your mom or dad at the bank and had to wait FOREVER on their turn? Even worse is grocery shopping. It seems to take forever as your mom is picking out all the flour, eggs, milk, and whatever else she has to buy.

But, the WORST waiting of all is when your Mom says to you, “You just wait until your Dad gets home. He’s going to take care of your punishment.” Oh, man, that seems to take forever! You are just waiting and waiting—it can be so painful!

Waiting can be one of the hardest things in life to do. That’s why when a lot of people read our Power Verse for today, they get very confused. “But, those who wait on the Lord…” People hear that and they think, “NO WAY! I don’t want to wait! Waiting is boring!” They have the idea that God wants us to just sit in a corner and stare at the wall until He tells us it’s time to get up.

The word “wait” in our Power Verse is not talking about a boring kind of waiting. It is talking about slowing down and getting in God’s presence. This might be at church, at home, in the car, wherever. It doesn’t matter where you choose to be in God’s presence, because God is everywhere!

Waiting on God in this verse is much more like waiting for Christmas (hold up the gift-wrapped box). It’s not a boring wait. It’s a wait full of anticipation and excitement. You know how it is when you see a big gift with your name on it under the Christmas tree. You are just filled with excitement as you get closer and closer to Christmas. It’s not a boring “wait.” It’s an exciting “wait.” It’s a wait that you actually enjoy because you know that something amazing is going to happen. Well, there is something amazing that happens when we “wait” on God and spend time in His presence, too.

Our Power Verse says that when we wait on God, we will “find new strength.” So many people don’t understand that they need to regularly spend time with God in prayer, worship, etc. It’s in those times when we slow down from the busyness of life and let God give us “new strength” to keep going.

(hold up the rechargeable toy with charger) You see this toy? It’s a lot of fun to play with. But, the batteries aren’t made to go forever. After awhile, the batteries get low and eventually they die. What do you need to do in order to be able to play with the toy again? (allow response) That’s right! You have to plug it into the power charger. It takes a while, but if you WAIT long enough, the battery will be recharged, and you can go back to playing with the toy.

The same thing is true for us. When we slow down and get in God’s presence, and “wait” on Him, plugging into Him, then He fills us up with His amazing supernatural strength. He gives us strength to go on. If we choose NOT to slow down and plug into Him, we will suffer the same fate as this rechargeable toy...we will wear down and become useless.

That’s why it is so important to “wait on the Lord” and “find new strength.” What does the rest of the verse say? Those who “wait on the Lord” and “find new strength” will “fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” What does that mean for us?

When we find new strength from spending time with God, we will do great things for Him. We may not literally fly in the sky with the eagles, but we will definitely soar to new heights with God. He will take us higher and farther than we ever could imagine.

But, we can’t do it on our own. If we try to do it in our own strength, we will fail. However, if we will slow down and wait on the Lord, we will find the new strength we need to make it through every tough time, every hard spot, and every challenge we face. And, THAT is worth the wait!

1. What was today’s Big Idea? Answer: “If I Wait On The Lord, I Will Find New Strength!”

2. What was the name of the guest on “The Ten Show” today? Answer: Big Poppa

3. What was Big Poppa refusing to do while driving on the highway? Answer: stop for gas

4. What was Referee Ricky too busy to do? Answer: go to his Bible Study, C.R.A.M.P.

5. Is waiting on God boring? Answer: No

6. When we wait on God, He gives us new ________________. Answer: strength

7. With the new strength God gives us, we will do ___________ things. Answer: great

8. What is the name of the man on the video who leads the “Ten Show Band”? Answer: Boffo

9. Is waiting on God “worth the wait”? Answer: yes

10. Where was our Power Verse found? Answer: Isaiah 40:31