Waiting for Hope
The sermon emphasizes the profound strength found in waiting for hope amidst life's darkest moments, drawing on biblical examples and the power of faith.
Charles E. Cowman preaches on the profound patience required to wait for hope, drawing parallels to biblical figures like Job, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus in Gethsemane. He emphasizes the beauty and divinity of waiting, even when faced with darkness and uncertainty, trusting in the Father's will and unseen guidance. Cowman encourages embracing the power of Gethsemane, where hope may seem distant but remains steadfast in the belief that God's vision surpasses human understanding.
Text
"For we through the Spirit by faith wait for the hope of righteousness" (Gal. 5:5, RV).
There are times when things look very dark to me--so dark that I have to wait even for hope. It is bad enough to wait in hope. A long-deferred fulfillment carries its own pain, but to wait for hope, to see no glimmer of a prospect and yet refuse to despair; to have nothing but night before the casement and yet to keep the casement open for possible stars; to have a vacant place in my heart and yet to allow that place to be filled by no inferior presence--that is the grandest patience in the universe. It is Job in the tempest; it is Abraham on the road to Moriah; it is Moses in the desert of Midian; it is the Son of man in the Garden of Gethsemane.
There is no patience so hard as that which endures, "as seeing him who is invisible"; it is the waiting for hope.
Thou hast made waiting beautiful; Thou has made patience divine. Thou hast taught us that the Father's will may be received just because it is His will. Thou hast revealed to us that a soul may see nothing but sorrow in the cup and yet may refuse to let it go, convinced that the eye of the Father sees further than its own.
Give me this Divine power of Thine, the power of Gethsemane. Give me the power to wait for hope itself, to look out from the casement where there are no stars. Give me the power, when the very joy that was set before me is gone, to stand unconquered amid the night, and say, "To the eye of my Father it is perhaps shining still." I shall reach the climax of strength when I have learned to wait for hope. --George Matheson
Strive to be one of those--so few--who walk the earth with ever-present consciousness--all mornings, middays, star-times--that the unknown which men call Heaven is "close behind the visible scene of things."
Sermon Outline
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I
- Understanding the concept of waiting for hope
- The pain of deferred fulfillment
- Examples from scripture: Job, Abraham, Moses, Jesus
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II
- The challenge of seeing the invisible
- The beauty of divine waiting
- The role of faith in patience
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III
- The power of Gethsemane
- Finding strength in waiting
- The promise of hope beyond despair
Key Quotes
“There is no patience so hard as that which endures, 'as seeing him who is invisible'; it is the waiting for hope.” — Charles E. Cowman
“Thou hast made waiting beautiful; Thou has made patience divine.” — Charles E. Cowman
“I shall reach the climax of strength when I have learned to wait for hope.” — Charles E. Cowman
Application Points
- Practice patience in your daily life by trusting in God's timing.
- Reflect on biblical figures who exemplified hope and faith during trials.
- Cultivate an awareness of the divine presence even in times of uncertainty.