You are listening to Radical with David Platt , a weekly podcast with sermons and messages from pastor , author and teacher David Platt . If you have your Bible , I want to invite you to flip with me to the next book of the New Testament , romans , verse 18 . And if you're taking notes , I want to share with you briefly five reminders that our souls need in seasons of waiting . As I reflect on these three and a half years of waiting in my life and I say briefly because any one of these reminders could be a standalone sermon easy and , as I mentioned , this will be a bit unique because all five of these reminders don't even come directly from this passage in Romans 8 , though they're summarized here and they definitely come straight from God's Word in ways that I've seen and studied over the last three and a half years I would recommend a book that has been a constant companion to me over the last three and a half years , by Andrew Murray , called Waiting on God . It's a short , simple , but it's not intended to even be read just in a setting we're sitting , like it's intended to be , just walk through slowly . Every chapter just picks a couple pages in a chapter , picks a place in the Bible that talks about waiting and just meditates on it . It's been super helpful for me , pointing me to God's Word . That leads to Romans 8 , 18 through 30 . And I want to read this passage and I'll have it up here on the screen as well . And I want you to notice three times when this passage mentions waiting . So maybe in your Bible you might circle it or just make a note every time you see wait . So Romans , chapter 8 , verse 18 , this is God's Word , for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory to be revealed to us , for the creation waits with the ear longing for the revealing of the sons of God . For the creation was subjected to futility , not willingly , but because of him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God . For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now , not only the creation but we ourselves , who have the first fruits of the Spirit grown inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons , the redemption of our bodies , for in this hope we were saved . Now , hope that is seen is not hope , for who hopes for what he sees ? But if we hope for what we do not see , we wait for it with patience . Likewise , the Spirit helps us in our weakness If we do not know what to pray for , as we ought . But the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words , and he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit , because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God , and we know that for those who love God , all things work together for good , for those who are called according to His purpose , for those whom he foreknew , he also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers . And those whom he predestined , he also called . And those whom he called he also justified . And those whom he justified he also glorified . Isn't that interesting that the Bible links waiting with adoption , that as followers of Jesus , we are waiting for our adoption as children of God , which actually then makes the entire Christian life a life of waiting . And you might think but are we already adopted ? Are we already children of God ? And the answer is Biblically yes , all who have repented and believed in Jesus' Lord , are adopted as sons and daughters of God . But we are waiting to be fully united with our Father In heaven , our family there . This is all I like , in many ways , the situation our family has been walking through the last three and a half years . The match had been made , the relationship was real , jd was our son , but we weren't together yet . And now we're together . His adoption is complete and this is what we're waiting for as followers of Jesus . We have a real relationship with God as our Father , but we're waiting to be with Him fully , which means we're longing and groaning and hoping to use language from Romans 8 for the day when our adoption will be complete and we're home . So the question is how do we not lose heart in the waiting ? How do you all fast to faith in the waiting ? And here are five reminders that I wanna encourage you with today that God has reminded me of over these last three and a half years , and specifically the last few weeks . Number one remember that God is sovereign over everyone and everything . When you're waiting , remember God is sovereign . That word means he has all authority over everyone and everything . In other words , he is ultimately in control , which means that things , circumstances , are never out of control , even hard things . Did you notice ? In Romans 8 , verse 20, ? The creation was subjected to futility . So that's passive voice . It was subjected , which begs the question . Well , who's subjected the creation to futility ? Did Satan do that ? Well , look at the rest of the verse . Because of Him . Who subjected it ? So this is the one who subjected it . In hope Satan doesn't do anything , in hope that the creation will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the children of God . God is sovereign over this whole picture , over everyone and everything in creation , and the rest of this passage makes this both clear and personal to us . In verse 28 , one of the most well-known verses in the book of Romans , for those who love God , all things work together for good , for those who are called according to His purpose . You know what the Greek word , that's translated all things there means . It means all things , everything , everything , without exception , even our things , even the worst things . God will work together for good Because God is sovereign over all things and God has a purpose in all things , which leads right into verses 29 and 30 and the big picture of God to conform us into the image of His Son , jesus , and ultimately to glorify us with Him . Do you realize what the strategist tell us ? But God is saying to us right now that he is always working all things together for His purpose . That is far bigger than any one thing and this is so important to remember . This morning , here at Tysons , we sang a song here called Never Lost , about how God doesn't lose battles , and I remember one day a few years ago singing I would say , yelling in the car , that song as it was looked like maybe we were gonna get to go and then it didn't happen . And I remember struggling , like looking back to that moment , like God you never lose . God you never lose . So why were we still here ? Why were we still waiting ? The problem was I was only seeing part of the picture and God sees it all , and sometimes God gives us glimpses of the bigger picture . Let me show you a picture from when we were overseas the last few weeks . It's not like that great scene . It's just walking through a hotel hallway , but I snapped a picture because I was so struck .
When you look on the left side of this picture , you see our daughter , mara , who came home from China 12 years ago , after God had used long years of waiting for children to open our hearts to adoption . In the first place , she's holding the hand of a little girl named Mercy who , without going into the whole story now , would not even be in our family if JD's adoption had not been postponed . And then Mercy is holding the hand of her new older brother that she now hugs and kisses and sometimes annoys non-stop . So this is a story that only a sovereign God can write , and I am not saying that every story ends in this world this way or that way , with a tidy bow on it . I'm not even saying that this bow is that tidy . What I am saying is what the Bible is saying God is sovereign over everyone and everything , which means that you and I can always trust he is working all things together for His purpose , and His purpose is our good and , ultimately , our glory with Him . In other words , it's true In the end it will be clear God does not lose and in the end , all who trust in Him will experience His victory , which actually leads to the second reminder . I really need to pick up the pace here . So remember , don't forget , don't ever forget in the waiting one that God is sovereign over everyone and everything . Number two remember that God loves you more than you know . He is your Father who has adopted you after all , in love for you . Did you see that word in Romans 8 , 29 , predestined . There's a lot we can talk about there and in other places , like Ephesians 1, . The language there is that God shows us before the foundation of the world and love . He predestined us to adoption as His children . Remember this in the middle of your waiting , amidst the weakness you feel , the challenges you face , especially on the days when you're tempted to lose heart , lack faith or maybe give up because the longing or the hurt or the pain or the sorrow is so heavy . Remember this . Remember that before the sun was ever even formed , before mountains were ever laid on the earth or oceans poured forth on the land , before a star was even set in the sky , almighty God set His sight on your soul . I'm not kidding you . If you really think about it , god decided to adopt you . He loves you more than you know . I was reading just a couple of weeks ago Psalm 56 , verse 8 and 9 . At this low point in David's life , when he writes you have kept count of my tossings . Put my tears in your bottle Are they not in your book ? Then my enemies will turn back in the day . When I call this , I know that God is for me . Do you see this ? When you can't sleep at night , he sees you . When the tears flow , he holds them . He loves you so much . And no , remember this , god is for you In the waiting . Don't doubt the weight of God's love for you , and not just you . So , number three , remember that God loves others more than you do , and I have needed this reminder when I prayed for my son and wondered God , why is the door not opening to go to him ? I have needed to remember over and , over and over again that God loves JD more than I do . God has reminded me who he is Psalm 68 , verse 5 . He is Father of the Fatherless and Protector of Widows in his holy habitation . That's who he is in heaven . And this obviously an adoption . But on a broader sense , may this be an important reminder because oftentimes our waiting does involve others' lives . We're waiting with others , for others on behalf of others , longing for the good of others , and we can , if we're not careful , start to question not just God's love for us but God's love for them , and it's good to remember that God loves others more than we do . God is love . And remembering that leads to the fourth and , I would say , most important reminder Remember that God is the goal . I have needed to be reminded over and over again the last three and a half years that adoption is not the goal . Because if Heather and I thought if only we could get JD , then we would be happy or then everything would be all right , then we would be missing the point . Because as long as the goal is a change in our circumstances , then we are making an idol out of our circumstances . We're looking to this or that to fulfill us when only God can fulfill us . The goal is not adopting or having a child or getting married or this disease or a sickness ending or that situation being resolved . The goal is God . This is so important , it's critical and it's why Romans 8 talks about waiting for the day when our adoption is complete , when we are what With God . Just think about how the rest of the Bible talks about waiting . Psalm 27 , verse 14 , summarizes it Wait for the Lord , be strong , let your heart take courage as you wait for the Lord and remember earlier , in the same chapter , psalm 27 , verse 4 , one thing I've asked the Lord that I will seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple . Do you see that One thing I want to see the Lord , and waiting . We need to remind ourselves he is the one thing that we need and , as a result , he is the one thing we need to want above all , above adoption , above reconciliation , above healing for our bodies , above an end to the hurt or pain or sorrow or struggle , whatever it is , above all we need and want God . So here's some practical encouragement in times of waiting that flow from this reminder If God is the goal , then let waiting lead you to deeper intimacy with God . Let's do the Psalm 62 . For God alone . There it is again . My soul waits in silence . Why ? Because from him comes my salvation . He alone is my rock and my salvation , he's my fortress . I shall not be greatly shaken when God is the goal , when God is your rock , then you will not , you cannot be shaken . Let waiting lead you to deeper intimacy within . Let waiting lead you to greater dependence on God . We all feel our weakness in our waiting right . We want to change things , but we can't . We're limited , we are weak . And what does Romans 8 , 26 say ? The spirit helps us in our weakness . Then listen to Isaiah 40 , verse 28 to 31 , my favorite passages from the last few years . Have you not known , have you not heard ? The Lord is the everlasting God , the creator of the ends of the earth . He does not grow faint or grow weary . His understanding is unsearchable . He gives power to the faint , to him who has no might . He increases strength . Even youths shall faint and be weary , and young men shall fall exhausted . But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength . They shall mount up with wings like eagles . They shall run and not be weary . They shall walk and not faint . What language ? How do you go from weariness to soaring ? Like an eagle , you wait for the Lord . I remember meditating on this passage at one point over these years , during a deep dive into this word weight and one resource I came across said this word weight , and I'm going to write it down just to emphasize that this word weight could be translated to rest trustfully . To rest trustfully . I've held on to that phrase . I want to rest trustfully in you , god , in the middle of the waiting . Waiting leads us to depend on , to rest trustfully in God , couple of other practical encouragements when it comes to God being the goal . If God's the goal that , let waiting lead you to grow in holdiness before God . There are so many temptations to sin in waiting , so many temptations to think , to live , to speak and a place that does not come from faith . And so listen to Psalm 37 , verse 7, . Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him . Fret not yourself over the one who prostrates in his way , over the man who carries out evil devices . Refrain from anger for sake wrath Again . Fret not yourself that tends only to evil , for the evildoers shall be caught off . Those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land . What a good word . Guard yourself against fretting , against worry in the waiting , and refrain from anger for sake wrath . Avoid evil . Be on guard against sin in the waiting , in all the ways the adversary wants to use your waiting to pull you away from God . Let waiting lead you to grow in holdiness before God . And in the process of one more word of encouragement with God as your goal . Let waiting lead you to give more glory to God . This is Psalm 25 . To you , o Lord , I lift up my soul . Oh my God , and you I trust . Let me not be put to shame . Let not my enemies exult over me . Indeed , none who wait for you shall be put to shame . They shall be ashamed . Who are wantonly treacherous . Wait on the Lord and you will not be put to shame . You will never regret waiting on the Lord . You will never regret resting trustfully in God and all these ways . Remember God is the goal which leads to this last reminder . Remember that God is at work . He's at work . Romans 8 , 8 to the 30 , is filled with awesome ways . God's working in our waiting . By his Spirit , he's helping us . He's interceding for us when we don't know how to pray , as we've talked about . He's working all things together for our good . In other words , god is not waiting , god is working . So I wanna encourage you because God is at work as you wait . Never stop praying with faith , because you'll be tempted to stop praying and you'll be tempted to think what good is praying gonna do , because I've prayed and nothing's happened . Never stop praying with faith . One of the other texts I've come back to over and over again in the last few years is Luke 18 , verse one . Jesus told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart . That's a good word . Keep praying , jesus says . Don't lose heart . Why ? Because God is working , and if God is working , then we can and must pray with faith . One in who God is . This parable in Luke 18 goes on to talk about the character of God . I found in waiting that we're tempted specifically to lack faith in the power , the love and or the wisdom of God . God , aren't you powerful enough to change this ? God , if you're loving , why is this still happening ? And God , this makes no sense to me . I don't see the wisdom in this , and it is good to pray with faith to express our desires to Him . God , I wanna bring my son home
. We pray that every single day for three and a half years , but in the next breath to say God , I trust you're able to do this , your power , I trust your love for JD and for us and so many others in this picture , and I trust your wisdom that you're working in ways I don't see . I'm not going to stop praying with trustful rest and all powerful , all loving , all wise God overall , who is working in ways we don't see . So don't stop praying with faith in who God is and what God can do . Don't doubt for a second in the waiting what God can do . Don't lose the heart . You are praying to the God of the impossible , so don't stop praying with faith in what God can do and , ultimately , in what God will do , which is where the end of this passage in Romans 8 ends . For all who are trusting restfully in God as he brings us one day to glory with Him , specifically for those who are trusting in Jesus , I want to get to those verses in Romans 8 . The clothes . Before I do that , I do want to ask every single person in the sound of my voice right now have you put your trust in Jesus ? Here's the deal . Here's the big picture story . We live in a world of waiting because we live in a world of sin and corruption and sorrow , just like Romans 8 is talking about , where so many things are not as they should be and we're suffering and pain and hurt and unfulfilled longings are a reality for every one of us . And all of this is ultimately because there is sin in the world and sin in each of our hearts . We live in a world where we have all turned aside from God in His ways , to ourselves in our own ways and as a result of sin , we are separated from God , and if we die in this state of sin , we will actually spend eternity in suffering , separated from God . But the good news of the Bible , the greatest news in the world , is that God loves us so much that he has come to us in the person of Jesus . And Jesus has done what none of us could do . He has lived a life of no sin and then , even though he had no sin for which to die , he came to die on a cross to pay the price for our sins , to die as a substitute in our place . And then , three days later , he rose from the grave . Jesus is victorious over sin , suffering and death itself , so that anyone anywhere who repents and believes , who turns from their sin and trusts in Jesus and his love for you , will be forgiven of all your sin and restored to relationship with God , as your heavenly Father adopted into the family of God to be with him forever and ever and ever . Have you put your trust in Jesus in it ? The answer to that question is not . The answer to that question is not yes in your heart that I invite you today . Let today be the day God , speaking to your heart right now , is saying he loves you more than you know . Put your trust in him and become a part of his family , with God as your heavenly Father . And when you do , and for all who house be reminded ? When you find yourself waiting in this world , when you find yourself in a position where you are learning to rest trustfully in God , you can know that , no matter what this world throws at you , these words from God , the end of Romans eight , are for you . If God is for you , who can be against you ? He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all ? Will he not also , along with him , graciously give us all things ? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen ? It's God who justifies . Who is he that condemns Christ Jesus , who died More than that , was raised to life and is right now at the right hand of God interceding for you ? Who will bring any charge ? Shall trouble , who shall separate us from the love of Jesus ? Shall trouble or hardship , or persecution , or famine or nakedness or danger or sword or fill in the blank . No , in all these things we are more than conquerors , through him who loved us , for we are convinced that either death nor life , neither angels nor demons into the present nor the future , nor any powers , neither height nor death , nor anything else in all creation will ever separate us from the love of Jesus , from the love of God that's in Christ Jesus , our Lord . You can trust God in the waiting . So you bow your heads with me all across this room and other locations , if you've never put your trust in Jesus . As we just enter into a time , right now , of prayer , I invite you to do that . I invite you to say , like right now , god is speaking to your heart . Say to him in your heart God , I have sinned against you . I'm separated from you . Today , I believe that Jesus died on a cross for my sin , rose from the dead , said I could be forgiven in my sin and restored to relationship with you . So yes , god , bring him to your family today . The Bible teaches by grace from God , through faith in God , we become children of God . God says yes to all who trust in him . When you pray that for all who know God as Father . We just pray God to help us in our waiting . God , forgive us for childish lack of faith that we struggle with , that I confess I struggle with in times of waiting and that you know how I struggle with it . We praise you for your grace , for your patience with us as your children , and we pray that you would give us , amidst all the circumstances represented in our lives right now , that you would give us childlike faith . God , we trust your wisdom , your power and your love . We praise you as the sovereign God , who is the God who is working all things together for our good and your glory and our glory with you .
So bring it about . We pray , help us when we can't see the bigger picture to trust , and you and I pray for so many people who are walking through so many things right now . I pray for your grace , your power , your love , your wisdom , your help over them in their waiting . And we say together we can't wait for the day when we will see your face or Jesus and when we will be brought into your presence with no more sin and no more sorrow , no more suffering , no more death , no more waiting , and you will wipe every tear from our eyes . Come Lord , jesus , come quickly . We pray and help us not to lose heart . Help us to hold faith until that day . In Jesus' name , we pray , amen . We hope you've enjoyed this week's episode of Radical with David Platt . For more resources from David Platt , we invite you to visit Radicalnet .