The Sunday Sermon

Stop and Rest, Wait Patiently, Fear Not

Wait patiently upon the Lord, and hope in
him: fret not thyself for him which prospereth in
his way, nor for the man that bringeth his enterprises
to pass. - Psalm 37:7

One must begin this work by first defining, and also translating the words “rest”, “wait” and “fear”

Rest when defined is to be in; a state of quiet or repose; a cessation from motion or labor; tranquility; as, rest from mental exertion; rest of body or mind or to put it simply to be still. Hence, freedom from everything which wearies or disturbs; peace; security. When used as a transitive verb it comes to mean for one to rely upon something, or someone. For example the expression “rest assured”

The second word that we need to define, that is to say the word “wait” can and is defined thusly; To watch; to observe; to take notice. To stay or rest in expectation; to stop or remain stationary till the arrival of some person or event; to rest in patience; to stay; not to depart. To put this in a more contemporary expression or, slang if you will, it means to “chill out”#

Finally we come the last word “fear”. Normally one can easily relate to the meaning from one’s own life experiences. As in I fear for my life. Which of course means to say that I am more than just greatly concerned. Again however allow this writer to go into a wider definition.

1. A painful emotion or passion excited by the expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger; apprehension; anxiety; solicitude; alarm; dread. &hand; The degrees of this passion, beginning with the most moderate, may be thus expressed, -- apprehension, fear, dread, fright, terror. Or as John Locke summed up so very well;

“Fear is an uneasiness of the mind, upon the thought of future evil likely to befall us.”

2. Fear in relation to Biblical Scripture
(a) Apprehension of incurring, or solicitude to avoid, God's wrath; the trembling and awful reverence felt toward the Supreme Being.
(b) Respectful reverence for men of authority or worth.

It is which much interest that one finds the second description of the word and how it applies not only in Scripture itself, but also in the daily affairs of men and women in this temporal world.

So we now have defined three words those being rest, wait, and fear, in today’s modern English. However, if one wants to find a really deeper meaning, one should seek out a more ancient language The first copies of what later was to become the New Testament, were transcribed in Greek, and so there is where this writer will go for some translations of the aforementioned words. We shall look to Strong’s Concordance as our source.

Rest - 1. epikeimai to rest upon
2. anesis relaxation or relief:--eased, liberty, rest.
3. anapano to repose by implication, to refresh take ease, refresh, (give, take) rest.
Wait - 1. prosdokao to watch to anticipate, in thought, hope or fear; by implication, to await: to be in expectation or looking for; tarry, wait for.
2. proskartereo to be earnest towards, to persevere, be constantly diligent, or to attend assiduously all the exercises, or, to adhere closely to as a servitor:--attend (give self) continually upon, wait on continually.
Fear - 1. tremo to "dread", "terrify" to "tremble" or fear:--be afraid, trembling.
2. phobeo to frighten, to be alarmed; by analogy, to be in awe of, i.e. revere:--be sore afraid, reverence.

So we have now defined the three main words of this particular verse in both English and ancient Greek. This begs the next question how does all of this relate? What is God saying to us? Let us look at the scripture again.

Wait patiently upon the Lord - Well if one looks at the above meanings, one finds that we are to watch in anticipation to with the knowledge of expectation of something that is to occur. How often do we, in this current world of instant gratification, want something done yesterday? To often would be my own thought, and yet here we see God saying to us, wait on me, I will not tarry, nor will I be late for when the time is right you will see my hand move mightily. This by extension, brings me to the concept of rest in his word. While it is not in the verse itself we find that it is implied that one while waiting should rest upon, as if leaning upon something strong. That would should cease from anxiety and worry, from mental exertions. This does not imply that one should live with his head in the sand or as the old saying goes “whistle while walking past the graveyard”. Certainly one should attend to one’s affairs in life. However excessively fretting over them does little if any good. Better that one should bring it to God, and allow Him to work upon them for you. Having the knowledge that God is control, frees one from the feeling of abject hopelessness. That there is an answer and He has it, and will deliver it in His time.

Fret not thyself. We should not fear (or to be irritable or worry) about things over which we have no control.# Nor should we give “reverence” to those that attain things in life, or are in of the themselves have little value in the Kingdom of Heaven. Again, does this mean that one should take one’s self and/or family and go live in a cave, or in object poverty? Certainly not! But it does mean to seek out God daily, as His blessings are much better than all of those that come out of this earth or are given and valued by mankind.

When reading this scripture this writer is reminded of the passages in Mark and Luke, wherein Jesus calms the raging storm. (Mark 4:39, Matthew 8:25-26), by saying “Peace and Be Still” What better or more apt words could one use to describe what God wants us to do? Jesus was saying to the raging winds , to cease, to stop. To the storm easing making it of little consequence. And to the waters he calmed them, as if addressing the fright of His disciples making their way smooth as to believe in Him. Jesus showed that their trust, was to be in His Word, and that it is put forth to accomplish anything to which he sets it out to do and will not return empty-handed. ( Isaiah 55:11)

When God asks us to trust in Him, He is asking us to, at times, to wait patiently without fear, but with calm endurance,# for Him to answer prayer. This trust can also be attributed to faith. To believe in the things that are not seen by the worldly eye (John 20:29, Romans 8:24, 1 Corinthians 2:9, 2 Corinthians 4:18, Hebrews 11:1,3). As Christians our trust must rely on faith and patience. As an old pastor of mine used to say, “sometimes it can be a long time between the amen and thank you” In Lamentations 3:25-26, the prophet Jeremiah speaks on waiting quietly for the Lord. Also in Exodus 14:13 we read that Moses commands the Children of Israel to : stand still and see the salvation of the Lord”

In conclusion and summation, let us focus our concerns on His Word and what it says and how it addresses our daily lives. Yes would should be diligent and not forsake our worldly affairs and obligations to our families, friends, work, and as well as ourselves, for God has given us a free hand in which it is necessary to do so. However, by placing Him first, by stopping and resting, waiting patiently, and fearing not, we can live our lives more peaceably not only with ourselves but with each other. Trust not in the world, but in God, and you can’t go wrong. (Proverbs 23:17, Matthew 10:28)

Editor’s note - I have taken the liberty of providing a link for all the quoted scripture

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