O Worship the LORD in the Beauty of Holiness

WHY WAIT?

 Are we not always waiting for something? Waiting in the long queue to buy our favourite hokkien mee or char kway teow at hawker centers, waiting for our NS enlistment or Operational Ready Date (ORD), waiting for a God-fearing spouse, waiting for a child or waiting for a job offer. More often than not, in our waiting, we gravitate towards a myriad of negative emotions like annoyance, irritation, impatience, anxiety, worry, fear and anger. We view waiting as a waste of time and not taking control of a situation. Furthermore, our aversion to waiting is heightened by our need for instant gratification, our capitulation to the tyranny of urgent, and our expectation that even the most intricate problems must be resolved immediately.  

Do you know that there are more than 100 references on waiting in the Bible? Out of these verses, the one that stands out most to me is Psalm 27:14. It was penned by David when he took refuge in the wilderness from the relentless pursuit of king Saul who wanted his life. Despite facing insurmountable trials, David believed that God’s goodness towards him never ran out. He did the right thing to strengthen his own heart and the hearts of those who were with him with these precious words, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalm 27:14)  

The Hebrew word for “wait” (qavah) means to look for someone or something with an underlying sense of expectation or anticipation. God wants us to wait upon Him with faith. We are to believe with all our heart that He is an infinitely wise God who has a higher purpose for allowing us to wait. 

Waiting Upon God Makes Us Depend on Him

When God does not immediately answer our prayers, we find ourselves expecting and anticipating. Our hearts begin to fill with feelings of helplessness and anxiety the longer we wait.  However, this is an opportune moment to go to the Lord with a heart submitting to His will.  We should not let negative emotions and doubts fill our hearts but delight and depend on Him as David says in Psalm 37:4-5, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”  

We must always acknowledge God’s higher purpose for us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). 

Waiting Strengthens Our Spiritual Muscles 

Leaning upon Him stops us from thinking that we are the masters of our own lives. God alone is our Master. Although we may desire to have God’s omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence, we would never be able to possess any of His incommunicable attributes. Therefore, waiting upon Him helps us to focus on that reality. The more we exercise our faith and cast our cares upon Him, the more our spiritual muscles will be built up. As a result, we will have that strength and peace to wait upon Him.  In our waiting, instead of being anxious, worried and paralyzed, let us take heed to Jesus’ command, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:33-34).    

Waiting Comes with Courage 

Waiting is not doing absolutely nothing but obeying what God wants us to do, and that is to have courage. As God’s children, we are to wait upon the Lord with courage. Therefore, in Psalm 27:14 we are told to “be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart.” 

Our responsibility is to exercise our faith to bear the uncertainty of waiting as what missionary and author, Elisabeth Elliot wrote, “Waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one’s thoughts.”   

We are to be prepared for what God has in store for us. No matter what the outcome of our waiting may be, we acknowledge that God’s will is the best for us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Proverbs 19:21 reminds us, “There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.”   

We take courage in waiting upon the Lord because everything will be made beautiful in His time. Our God moves according to His time and not ours, as what God says in His Word, “He hath made everything beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end”(Ecclesiastes 3:11). God’s timing is always perfect and it is worth the wait. 

Why do we wait upon the Lord? It is because He commands us to, “Wait, I say, on the LORD.”  Therefore, we ought to focus our heart on God’s character and why He can be trusted as we wait upon Him. When we exercise this faith, our strength to live each moment of our lives will be renewed by God. This promise is found in Isaiah 40:31, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” May the Lord help us as we wait upon Him.

– Rev Quek Kk

Shorter Catechism Question 4

Q: What is God?

A: God is a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.

Appointments for the Week

Monday, Jul 15

        7.30 pm     ERBL: Intro to Biblical Counselling (Mr Joel Seah)

Tuesday, Jul 16

        8.00 pm     Prayer Meeting (Eld Ng Beng Kiong)

Thursday, Jul 18

      10.00 am     Ladies’ Prayer Group

        7.30 pm     ERBL: The Book of Proverbs (Rev Lim Chee Boon)

Saturday, Jul 20

        3.00 pm     LTF / YLM

Sunday, Jul 21

  8.00 am     How Have We Despised Your Name? Malachi 1:6-14 (Rev Charles Seet, with Holy Communion)

  8.00 am Choir Practice

  9.15 am Library (Sanctuary Balcony)

  9.40 am Sunday School / Catechism Class

10.15 am Coffee Corner

11.00 am How Have We Despised Your Name? Malachi 1:6-14 (Rev Charles Seet)

11.00 am Children’s Ministry

11.00 am Chinese Service (MPH)

11.00 am Filipina Service (Rm 1-6)

12.15 pm Library (Sanctuary Balcony)

  2.30 pm Thai Service (LMH)

  4.00 pm Indonesian Service (Rm 1-6)

Preaching appointment: Rev Seet at Maranatha BPC, 10.45am.

Announcements

Life BPC Job Vacancies

1. Church Operations Manager (COM)

Responsibilities:

The COM provides active oversight and support in the mission, administrative affairs and general operations of the Church including Financial Management, HR, MIS Technology, Media Technology, Facilities and General Administration.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor degree or higher
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in operations or managerial positions
• Good interpersonal and communications skills

2. Estate Management Officer (EMO)

Responsibilities:

EMO plans, oversees and coordinates all property management and preventive maintenance activities associated for the church premises. Coordinates facilities usage for a range of Church activities and Church’s authorized users using the premises. The EMO reports to the Church Operation Manager.

Qualifications:

• Diploma or equivalent
• 5 years’ experience in real estate management and maintenance
• Certification in real estate management and maintenance is an added advantage
• Lifers are preferred

Candidates with relevant qualifications and experience may submit your application and CV to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Traffic Warden Service

We welcome all church members to join in this work. Our TW’s role is to provide godly service to facilitate worship. We need help in following time slots for Sunday: 7.30-8am or 10.30-11am with a frequency of once or twice a month. Please contact Dn Chan Yong or Bro Kelvin.

Staff Movement

Elder Lim CW has been appointed as the interim Honorary Church Operations Manager (COM) effective from 1 July 2024. This appointment will cease upon the hiring of a permanent COM.

Door to Door Evangelism 21 July 2024 (Next Sunday)

Meet in Beulah Room 2-11, 12.30pm Contact: Desmond or Amos 

Holy Communion Elements Preparation

Lifers are invited to serve in the Holy Communion elements preparation, clean-up and washing. Those interested may contact Jenny or Wendy.

Mailbox Club Bible Correspondence Course (MBCC)

Another Church Outreach Ministry invites Lifers to register their young children, teens, or grandchildren with our MBCC. Those whose loved ones, friends or colleagues who are either young in their faith or being non-believers, are interested to know and explore more of Christianity, are also invited to register with us by filling in the registration forms which are now available at the Church front counter and post them to:

Life B-P Church

No.10, Gilstead Road

Singapore 309064

Attention: Mrs Ong Chuay Ying

Musicians’ Gathering

20 July 2024, 5.30pm @ Beulah Rm 2-1. Contact Grace or Yan Wei for more information. 

Men’s Ministry 8^th Anniversary

27 July; 4-7pm @ Beulah MPH. “Created in Christ Jesus unto Good Works” by bro Mok Chee Cheong Contact bro Chung Wai This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more details.

Ladies’ Fellowship Bible Study on the book of Revelation

Every last Saturday of the month. 3.15pm @ Beulah Rm 1-6. Contact Sis Sally This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for mor details.

Dementia: Making Sense, Seeking Support

Speakers: Dn Dr Koh Lip Hoe & Sis Cheung Siew Li

Date: 24 August 2024

Time: 4-6pm (followed by dinner)

Venue: Beulah MPH

Register at https://www.lifebpc.com/sfseminar by 4 August

YF Camp (for youths aged 16-25)

16-20 Dec 2024, “To live is Christ, to die is gain” by Eld Chin Hoong Chor. 

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