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