While We Wait: The Prophetic Call to Hope-Filled Waiting
A Pastoral Reflection on Isaiah 63:7-64 and the Christian Life
From Pastor Robert
"From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him." — Isaiah 64:4
Nobody likes to wait.
We live in an age of instant everything: instant messages, instant answers, instant delivery to our front door. We switch lanes in traffic convinced the other one is moving faster. Waiting feels unproductive and uncomfortable. Most of us are not very good at it.
And yet, the life of faith is fundamentally a life of waiting.
From the first promise in the garden to the final cry of "Come, Lord Jesus" in Revelation, the people of God have always been a people who wait. Waiting is not a detour from the life of faith. It is the life of faith. The prophet Isaiah helps us understand this.
Isaiah wrote to a people living in the ache of an unanswered prayer, longing for God to break through and make things right. He became what we might call the waiting prophet. And in Isaiah 64:4, he speaks a word that reframes everything: there is no God like this God, a God who is not passive while His people wait, but who is actively at work on their behalf. Your waiting is not wasted. There is a God in heaven who acts for those who wait for Him.
In Jesus Christ, we see this God coming down for those who were waiting for him. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, God did exactly what Isaiah had begged Him to do. He rent the heavens and came down. The Son of God stepped into human flesh, wept real tears, and carried human suffering on a Roman cross. When He breathed His last, the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom. Not from the bottom up, as if by human hands. From the top down. The God who acts for those who wait had acted in the most stunning and costly way imaginable.
And yet here we are, two thousand years later, still waiting for his return.
But we do not wait the way Isaiah's people waited. We wait on the other side of an empty tomb, with the Holy Spirit in and among us, knowing God has already acted and will act again. Theologians call this living between the times, in the already and the not yet. Sin has been defeated, but suffering remains. We are caught between the dawn that has come and the full sunrise still on its way. Isaiah 64:4 will not let us despair. The waiting is not empty. While we wait in hope, God who is working, preparing, and will come again.
Waiting Actively and Hopefully
Christian waiting is not passive resignation. It is alert, Spirit-filled expectancy rooted in the confidence that God acts for those who wait. Here are a few practical ways to wait well:
Begin every day with praise. Declare what God has already done of us in Christ! Gratitude is a weapon against despair.
Pray honestly. Bring your real grief and longing before God. Lament is not a failure of faith. It is faith, refusing to go silent.
Wait together. Find a few others and lean into community, especially when the wait grows long.
Serve the people in front of you. Meet practical needs. Encourage the discouraged. Love one another. Point others to the Savior.
Saturate yourself in Scripture. God’s people learn to wait hopefully. Let His Word recalibrate your heart when waiting grows heavy.
Rest in God's promise. Isaiah 64:4 is your anchor. God is not watching your waiting from a distance. He is acting within it, ahead of it, and through it.
We have seen a manger, a cross, and an empty tomb. No eye has seen all that God has prepared for those who wait for Him, but we have seen enough to trust Him with what remains.
So, we wait, not in despair but in hope, not in silence but in praise, not alone but together.
Helpful Resources:
Sanctification is Slow and AI Can’t Do It For You
A Different Kind of Influencer
Opportunities to Serve
(For Opportunities to Serve at High Pointe, click HERE)
Volunteering in nursery or children’s ministry is a great way to get to know others at High Pointe and to serve our parents on Sunday mornings and other church gatherings. Reach out to Erin at erin@highpointeaustin.org
God has blessed each of us with unique gifts and talents, and at High Pointe, we believe serving is how we use those gifts to bless others and advance His kingdom.
Whether you have 30 minutes a week or several hours, there's a place for you to serve in our children's ministry, as greeters, with the hospitality team, media/tech support, building and grounds, safety, community outreach efforts, and through administrative support. Reach out to find out more today: info@highpointeaustin.org
Life at High Pointe
Want to know what’s happening at High Pointe? Check out our weekly announcements and upcoming events to stay informed and connected with the life of our church!
Sunday AM Preaching Schedule: Pray regularly for the ministry of the Word at High Pointe. Also, prepare for our gatherings by reading the sermon text, thinking it through, and asking questions about the text before Sunday. Here is our (tentative) preaching schedule designed to help you prepare for Sundays:
July 5 | Isaiah 65-66 | Yahweh Answers: Judgment and the New Creation | Pastor Robert Cline
July 12 | Matthew 5:1-12 | Kingdom Blessings | John Thompson
July 19 | 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 | Strength in Weakness | Pastor Mark Cambranis
July 26 | 2 Corinthians 1:12-24 | Austin Burns
August 2 | Psalm 73 | Refuge: What Worship Does | Pastor Craig Horton
August 9 | New Series: 2 Peter 1:1-11 | Grace Gives Godliness | Pastor Robert Cline
August 16 | 2 Peter 1:12-15 | Essential Pastoral Reminders | Pastor Robert Cline
August 23 | 2 Peter 1:16-21 | Trustworthy Witness and Word | Pastor Robert Cline
August 30 | Luke 18:18-30 | What Must I Do to Inherit Eternal Life? | Pastor Juan Sanchez
September 6 | Luke 18:31-43 | The Joy of Spiritual Sight | Pastor Juan Sanchez
September 13 | Luke 19:1-10 | Salvation and the Fruits of Repentance | Pastor Juan Sanchez
September 20 | 2 Peter 2:1-10 | Don’t Be Deceived by False Teachers | Pastor Robert Cline
September 27 | 2 Peter 2:11-22 | Beware! It Doesn’t End Well for Deceivers
Begin praying as you prepare to join us this Sunday at 10:00 a.m.
Gospel Partner of the Month: Reaching and Teaching International Ministries – B.M. Reaching & Teaching International Ministries (RTIM) seeks to advance the gospel by partnering with local churches as they send qualified missionaries to make mature disciples, establish healthy churches, and train local leaders around the world.
You may know of RTIM because we sent the P family through this sending organization. This month, we want to highlight our support for B.M. B and his wife served for seven years as missionaries in Central Asia, working in evangelism, discipleship, and church planting. After returning to the US, B spent six years as a global trainer, traveling around the world to equip international church leaders for ministry. He desires to see the gospel spread and churches established among the nations of Central Asia. B is a graduate of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife have three children.
On-Call Pastor To better care for you, High Pointe, we have an “on-call” pastor available for emergencies after office hours. To reach the on-call pastor, call 512-837-7725, extension 1.
