JUNE THEME – SET Free To LIVE Free – Embracing Liberty Through Christ
SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY
GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.
Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart
WHEN GOD SAYS WAIT
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength…” — Isaiah 40:31a
Waiting is one of the hardest commands in Scripture—because it feels like silence. Like delay. Like being overlooked. And yet, in God’s Kingdom, waiting is not wasted time—it’s transformational time. It’s not a denial. It’s a divine delay wrapped in mercy.
To wait on the Lord is not to sit in idleness. It is to lean in when everything in you wants to run ahead. It is to trust when you don’t see. To worship when you don’t feel. To hope when you don’t understand. Waiting stretches your faith muscles in ways nothing else can.
David was anointed king as a teenager, but he waited years—through rejection, betrayal, and hiding in caves—before the crown touched his head. But the throne was never the goal; transformation was. Had he skipped the wait, he might have reached the palace but lacked the character to remain.
Waiting reveals what we truly believe. It exposes our idols, tests our priorities, and deepens our dependence. When you’re in a waiting season, God isn’t just preparing your future—He’s preparing you for that future. Every “not yet” from Heaven is a whispered invitation to deeper trust.
The world rushes to outcomes. God refines through process. Waiting rewrites our story in God’s handwriting. And when it’s done in Him, it always ends in strength—not weariness.
Joseph waited 13 years between dream and destiny—betrayed by his brothers, imprisoned for righteousness, forgotten by men. But not forgotten by God. In the waiting, Joseph was shaped into the kind of man who could carry the weight of leadership with integrity (Genesis 37–41).
An oak tree doesn’t grow overnight. For years, it sends roots deep before it ever stretches high. The storms that come later don’t shake it—because it waited. Don’t despise your season underground. God is rooting you before He reveals you.
Prayer: Lord, help me wait with purpose. Teach me to be still without being stagnant. Quiet my racing thoughts and steady my heart in You. Strengthen me in the hidden place. I trust that what You’re doing in me is more important than what I think I need. May I grow deep before I grow visible. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Challenge: Write down one area of your life or marriage where you feel like you’re waiting. Then, beside it, write three truths about God’s character—His faithfulness, His timing, and His goodness. Let those truths anchor you while you wait.
THURSDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS
Sarah Parker
Ann Stanley – Rehab
Doug Stephens
Mary Williams – Rehab
Sadie Almand & Unborn Baby
Scotty Nix
Lynn Garner’s Daughter
Andrea Nix– Friend of the Shellnutts
Stephanie Seivers – Friend of the Shellnutts
Jill Haines
Angela Bryan’s Sister
Danny Jarrard
Darlene Wiggins
Doris Loyd
Dr. and Mrs. Davis
Eric Magnusson’s Mother
Eric Ward
Friend of Linda Hodge
Gayle Sparks
George & Linda Alexander
James Burnette
James Garner
Jessica Headrick
John McClain’s Mother
June Cronan’s Sister
June Davis
Kailey Bateman
Kathryn Raines
Kim McClain’s Mother
Kim’s Sisters – Ann & Brenda
Lee Cronan
Lillianna Magnusson’s Mom
Linda Breedlove’s Sister – Sarah
Lonzo Christian
Lori Blount’s Mother
Mary Williams
Mary Williamson – Dana Jackson’s Mom
Marynell Ford
Mike, Gwen, Michael Rice Family – Friends of Blount’s – Car Accident
Mrs. Franklin
Nora Allison
Pastor Driskell
Rose Fuller – Pruitt-Monroe Nursing Home, Forsyth GA
Roy Loyd
Scarlett – Marynell’s Granddaughter
Scott Lanier
Steve Michaels
Theresa Bain’s Granddaughter
Tom Witcher