Wait Wholeheartedly

Last Sunday, 14th October, we began to preach the “Safety Belt” series, which will be about 10 sermons long. In this first sermon, “Be Saved in Returning and Rest,” we shared through the Word of God about how in the hardest times of our lives, Father God and His Word becomes our “safety belt” and helps us triumph over the difficulties in life. Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! (Isaiah 30:18)

The Heavenly Father longs to be gracious to those who wait for him. The original text of “wait” means to “adhere” or “grasp”. Especially during extreme hardships, the only “safety belt” we can cling to is God. When we hold onto Him tightly in every step we take, we shall surely be blessed. In this “Safety Belt” series, every member of the Steering Committee will choose their own life-saving Scripture(s) and preach and share about their own lives.

There are bound to be ups and downs in life, how can we ever overcome life’s adversities? What does the Bible say? Dear brothers and sisters, do we truly take God as the “safety belt” in our lives? The truth is, apart from God we can do nothing. Brothers and sisters who just got baptized, and those who have been believers for quite some time alike, may I urge you to hold onto God tightly in the most difficult moments of your life, because He alone is the “safety belt” in our lives. As we wait wholeheartedly on Him, without a doubt, He shall protect and guide us.

I deeply yearned to be used by God in Vancouver, and yet God spent 10 years leading me to wait for Him by the river, until I was renewed by the Holy Spirit and led by Him to plant 611 in Hong Kong. Throughout the past 17 years, we have been greatly blessed by God as we wait on Him and follow Him. The “Jesus 100 evangelistic meeting” was held during the menace of SARS, the Leadership Institute began despite financial hardship and the purchase of Wealthy Garden, etc.

In all of these occasions, we witness that the more we follow God, the more blessed we are (for details, read “Obedience brings miracles” and “God’s ready pen”). Throughout the past two years, the Holy Spirit unceasingly grants us His Living Water, and tells us that now is the revival time! He reminds us to wait on Him more, and follow Him more deeply. Since the 17th Church Anniversary, new revelations and visions have been abounding to us – “Planting Trees of Life everywhere in 52 years”, “The feast of Ingathering is Sukkot”, “8 sessions of musicals together with 8 sessions of baptisms, setting the record of 852 people baptized” – all of these are the revelations and blessings of Father God.

Dear brothers and sisters, today the Holy Spirit is guiding us, elevating us, and leading us forward. May I exhort everyone to follow God closely in faith, and to wait wholeheartedly on Him. With a thankful heart, we shall treasure every opportunity to serve – then He shall fulfill our personal destiny, and take us through all challenges and hardships in life. He shall mould us into the precious vessels of revival for the whole Earth. • [2018.10.21]