We Wait by Walking - Sunday 14th Dec

Devotional

Day 1: Waiting by walking: hopeful movement in the in-between

Waiting in God’s kingdom is not idling; it is pilgrimage. You keep moving, step by step, with eyes open for his presence in the wilderness. This kind of waiting trusts that the desert can bloom and that obedience today prepares you for tomorrow. Be encouraged: your steady steps are noticed, and they matter more than you think. As you walk, be ready for the next thing God brings. [01:12]

Isaiah 35:3–7
Strengthen tired hands and shaky knees; speak courage to anxious hearts: “Be strong; don’t be afraid—your God is on the way.” When he comes, blind eyes open, deaf ears unlock, weak legs leap, and silent tongues break into praise. Streams burst into deserts, scorched earth becomes pools, and barren places start growing with life.

Reflection: Where, specifically, do you sense the Spirit inviting a next small step while you wait, and what will that step look like before next Sunday?

Day 2: Living the now-and-not-yet with steady hope

Jesus has already come, and he is coming again. Because of his death and resurrection, your hope is anchored, even while you only see a portion of what will one day be complete. This hope does not deny pain; it reframes it as temporary and meaningful in light of eternity. So keep walking with courage, knowing that your present faithfulness echoes into a future new heaven and new earth. Let this sure hope shape your pace, your prayers, and your priorities today. [02:03]

Revelation 21:1–5
I saw a renewed heaven and earth, because the old order was gone. God came near and made his home among people. He dried every tear; death, mourning, and pain were dismissed. The One on the throne declared, “I am making everything new,” and his words were solid and true.

Reflection: Which present hardship needs to be seen again in the light of Jesus’ promised renewal, and how could you remind yourself of that hope each day this week?

Day 3: When faith meets disappointment: do not stumble

Even the most faithful can meet disappointment when God’s timing or methods differ from their expectations. John the Baptist, bold and Spirit-filled, asked from prison, “Are you the One?” Jesus answered by inviting him to notice what was happening—the blind seeing, the lame walking, good news reaching the poor—and to keep trusting him. You are allowed to bring honest questions to Jesus, but do not let unmet expectations trip your feet. Look again at what he is doing, and take the next obedient step without stumbling. [03:27]

Matthew 11:2–6
From prison John heard what the Messiah was doing and sent to ask, “Are you the One we’re waiting for?” Jesus replied, “Tell John what you hear and see—sight to the blind, walking to the lame, cleansing to lepers, hearing to the deaf, life to the dead, and good news to the poor. Blessed is the one who doesn’t trip over me.”

Reflection: Where has reality not matched how you thought God would act, and what would it look like to “look and see” Jesus at work there this week?

Day 4: Fix eyes on Jesus, not only promises

Promises are precious, but a promise is only as sure as the Person who gives it. Followers of Jesus do not stake their faith on changing circumstances—even miracles—but on the unchanging Christ. He doesn’t hand out maps; he says, “Follow me,” and becomes the Way under your feet. Childlike trust releases the need to control outcomes and frees you to obey today. Fix your eyes on Jesus, not just on results, and walk the road laid before you. [04:44]

Hebrews 12:1–2
Since a great cloud of witnesses surrounds us, throw off the weights and sins that trip you up, and run the race marked out with steady endurance. Keep your gaze set on Jesus—the pioneer who starts faith and the finisher who perfects it—who endured the cross for the joy ahead and now sits at God’s right hand.

Reflection: Is there a specific outcome you’ve been waiting to see before you obey, and what concrete act of trust could you take today without that outcome in hand?

Day 5: Ready, humble, and available: God uses the weak

No one is disqualified or forgotten in God’s family. He delights to work through those who feel weak, unseen, or underqualified, so that his strength and presence are unmistakable. Your next small yes matters, and the community is strengthened as we steady trembling hands and knees together. Make yourself ready—humble, willing, attentive—as the Spirit moves in ordinary places. Offer what you have today, and expect the kingdom to break in through small steps of faith. [05:59]

1 Corinthians 1:26–29
Consider your calling: not many were influential or impressive by the world’s measure. God chose what seems foolish to confound the wise, and what appears weak to outlast the strong, so that no one can boast. Our life and righteousness are from God, not our pedigree.

Reflection: What is one small, concrete act of availability—a quiet prayer, a simple conversation, or unseen service—you can offer this week so that God might work through your weakness?

Sermon Summary

I sensed the Lord’s smile over you. In a season of waiting, you have not been passive—you’ve waited by walking. That’s the pattern of the Christian life. Advent reminds us we live between the “already” and the “not yet.” Jesus has come, died, and risen, and the kingdom has broken in. But we still await the day it arrives in fullness. So we keep moving, eyes on Jesus, walking in hope.

We looked at Isaiah 35: God promises his presence will make deserts bloom, strengthen weak hands, steady trembling knees, and bring healing to the blind and lame. That promise carried Israel through exile; it still carries us. And yet, even the boldest saint can wrestle in the in-between. John the Baptist—faithful, fiery, utterly devoted—landed in prison and asked, “Are you the one?” Not because he’d abandoned God, but because what he expected of God didn’t match what he experienced.

Jesus’ response wasn’t a simple “yes.” He said, “Look.” The blind see, the lame walk, the poor hear good news. In other words: the promised signs are happening—but they are happening on Jesus’ terms, at Jesus’ pace, through Jesus’ way. Our faith is anchored not in outcomes we script but in the Person who saves. We trust the Promiser more than the promises; we follow the Way more than the way we imagined. That keeps us from stumbling when hopes are delayed or fulfilled differently than we planned.

Isaiah also spoke of a highway in the wilderness—a way so clear that even fools won’t get lost. Jesus is that Way. He doesn’t hand us a finished map; he invites us to follow step by step like children. That keeps us humble, dependent, and free from the burden of understanding everything before we obey. Many of us disqualify ourselves, imagining God only uses the strong, the certain, the knowledgeable. But the Spirit delights to move through those who feel weak and overlooked.

So I want to honor you for your perseverance and encourage you to be ready. Take the next step—no matter how small—with your eyes on Jesus. Strengthen one another’s weak hands; steady one another’s trembling knees. The Spirit is moving. As we walk, we will see deserts bloom, the broken restored, the poor lifted, and the presence of God fill ordinary places with glory.

Key Takeaways

1. We wait by walking forward Waiting isn’t idle; it’s faith with motion. The in-between becomes holy ground when we keep moving in obedience, even without full clarity. Hope grows legs when it chooses the next faithful step. God meets us on the way, not on the sidelines. [03:12]
2. Doubt lives inside real faith John’s questions came from fidelity, not rebellion; disappointment exposed assumptions, not unbelief. Bring your questions to Jesus and let him reframe your vision, not your value. Doubt can purify hope when it moves us toward the Lord rather than away from him. [07:51]
3. Fix faith on Jesus, not outcomes Promises are precious, but the Promiser is the anchor. When outcomes delay or differ, trust Jesus’ character and timing—his work may be deeper than your metrics can measure. This shift creates resilience: we’re held by a Person, not by our projections. [20:52]
4. Presence transforms wilderness into sanctuary Isaiah’s vision isn’t cosmetic; it’s about God dwelling with his people until deserts bloom. Practice presence—worship, prayer, Scripture—especially in dry seasons, and watch barrenness become birthplace. The miracle isn’t only changed circumstances; it’s the glory of God filling them. [10:33]
5. Take the next humble step today Obedience is often small, specific, and unglamorous—yet it opens the road of grace. Community helps: strengthen weak hands and steady shaky knees so no one walks alone. Humility to follow without full understanding makes room for God’s surprising power. [24:43]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:06] - Opening Prayer
[02:11] - Encouragement in interregnum: wait by walking
[04:00] - Advent: the now and not yet
[05:02] - Our sure hope in Christ
[07:51] - John the Baptist: faithful yet doubting
[09:30] - Isaiah 35: Presence in the wilderness
[11:02] - Healing and joy in God’s presence
[12:18] - Prophets, exile, and returning to God
[15:20] - John is Elijah; Messiah revealed
[17:12] - Why John doubted under injustice
[19:43] - Jesus’ reply: look and see
[20:52] - Trust Jesus, not outcomes
[22:35] - The highway and childlike following
[26:59] - Be ready; Spirit is moving

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Isaiah 35

Observation questions (read Isaiah 35 first)

Which images in Isaiah 35 (water in the desert, eyes opened, knees steadied, a highway) stand out most to you, and why? [11:02]
John the Baptist lived a life of radical faith yet asked, “Are you the one?” Where in your own story have expectations about how God should act not matched what you experienced? [07:51]
The phrase “we wait by walking” describes waiting that includes obedience and motion. What concrete actions in the past year have felt like “waiting by walking” for you? [03:12]
Isaiah promises a highway in the wilderness so clear that “even fools won’t get lost.” Which part of that image most comforts or challenges you as a follower? [21:25]

Interpretation questions

How does Jesus’ reply to John—“Go and tell what you hear and see: the blind receive sight, the lame walk…”—reframe the people’s expectations about the timing and shape of God’s kingdom? [19:43]
What does it mean to anchor faith in the Promiser (Jesus) rather than in particular promised outcomes? How might that change the way a person reads Isaiah’s promises? [20:52]
In what ways does the “highway” image invite a childlike posture of following step by step rather than demanding a full map first? [22:35]
Why might God choose to work through those who feel weak or disqualified, and how does that affect the church’s view of who is fit for kingdom work? [27:24]

Application questions

Identify one small, specific next step you can take this week that would be “waiting by walking” (a visit, a phone call, a service act, a step of faith). What is it and when will you do it? [03:12]
Bring one honest question or doubt you carry about God’s timing or justice. How will you bring that question to Jesus this week (prayer, Scripture, a trusted friend)? [07:51]
What outcome are you currently tempted to use as the measure of God’s work in your life? What practical habit can you start to re-center your trust on Jesus instead of that outcome? [20:52]
Who in your community has “feeble hands” or “trembling knees” right now? Name one concrete thing you can do in the next seven days to strengthen or steady that person. [24:43]
What ordinary place in your life (home, workplace, a relationship) feels like a wilderness? What one spiritual practice (brief worship, Scripture, invitation to pray) will you try this week to invite God’s presence there? [10:33]
Is there a way you have been disqualifying yourself from following Jesus (thinking others are more gifted or more qualified)? What’s one humble step you can take to join the way he is laying out—for example, a simple act of service or saying “yes” to one opportunity? [25:42]

Sermon Clips

``Through his death, he took, he paid for all of our sins and our mess. He conquered, he fulfilled the law. He defeated the devil. And he paid for all of our sins and ransomed us. So that now we can be forgiven and discover that we are the chosen people of God. Forgiven, set free, made clean. Not because we've earned it, but because Jesus has done it for us. Completely as gift. So that now we can be forgiven and discover that we are the chosen people of God. [00:04:12] (24 seconds) #ForgivenAndChosen

We right now, as we're lighting candles, as we're praying, as we're getting ready to celebrate, we remember that Jesus already came. But we also remember that he is coming again. And now we only see in part what then we will see fully. And so we are a people of hope. A people who have a sure and certain hope that Jesus will return. That there will be new heaven and new earth. That the mess, the suffering, the pain we experience now is temporary. And it's like a blink, like a click of the fingers compared to the eternity we will spend face-to-face loving and being loved by the King of Kings. [00:04:52] (44 seconds) #HopeInHisReturn

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We Wait by Walking - Sunday 14th Dec - St Patrick's, Barking