Patiently Waiting
Sermon by Pastor Daniel Courade
On Mother's Day, Pastor Daniel steps into the pulpit not with a traditional holiday message, but with a word he says the Holy Spirit placed on his heart — one rooted in Psalm 40:1-3. He opens by grounding the sermon in Lamentations 3:25-26, which reads, "The Lord is good to those who depend on Him...so it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord." From the very start, Pastor Daniel sets the tone: this message is for anyone who finds themselves in a silent season — not a chaotic storm, but a dry, stagnant stretch where prayers feel unanswered and nothing seems to be changing.
Pastor Daniel paints a vivid picture of what this kind of season feels like. It's not quicksand that swallows you whole, he says — it's mud that just holds you in place. You're still showing up, still being faithful, still praying, but it feels like your prayers are hitting the ceiling. The questions start creeping in: God, do you hear me? Did I miss something? What are you doing? He makes a pointed observation that silence can actually be harder than a storm, because storms feel loud, but silence feels empty. And yet, he declares with conviction — silence doesn't mean God is absent.
With that foundation laid, Pastor Daniel walks the congregation through Psalm 40:1-3, drawing out three key points. The first is that patience proves whether God is truly your source or just your last resort. He points to David's words — "I waited patiently for the Lord" — and notes that waiting patiently means time passed, pressure built, and doubt likely crept in. But David stayed. He continued to hope for things not yet seen, which is exactly what Hebrews 11:1 describes: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Pastor Daniel challenges the congregation to examine what their waiting reveals about their trust in God. He warns against forcing open doors God never intended, noting that what we force, we have to sustain — but what God builds, He secures.
The second point is that God's power begins where self-sufficiency ends, and what you surrender, God will transform. Pastor Daniel draws attention to the language of Psalm 40:2 — David didn't say he climbed out of the pit or fought his way out. He said the Lord lifted me. This, Pastor Daniel emphasizes, is not a self-improvement program. It's a call to full surrender. He reminds the congregation — especially the men — that the strongest man in Scripture outside of Jesus Himself was King David, a man after God's own heart, a man who lived a life of surrender. He challenges husbands and fathers that the best thing they can do for their families is not to have all the answers, but to be desperately in love with Jesus. Surrender, he says, feels like losing control — but it's actually where freedom begins.
The third and final point is that your waiting becomes your witness. Psalm 40:3 says, "He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord." Pastor Daniel unpacks this beautifully — God doesn't just pull you out of the pit; He repositions you on solid ground and then gives you a story. Your private struggle becomes public evidence of God's faithfulness. What once felt like an endless delay is now on display for all to see, redeemed by the Redeemer. He references Matthew 5:16, "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven," and challenges the congregation not to hide what God has done in their lives.
Pastor Daniel then opens up about his own story, sharing that as a teenager and young adult he was deep in drug addiction — trying every substance the rave scene had to offer, living only for the moment. He describes hitting rock bottom, crying out to God, and experiencing the very deliverance Psalm 40 describes. He didn't think change was possible. But God showed up, set his feet on solid ground, and put a new song in his mouth. That testimony, he says, is exactly what God wants to do with every person sitting in that room — not just to set them free, but to use their freedom to reach others for the Kingdom.
Pastor Daniel closes with an altar call, inviting anyone who is weary, stuck, or struggling to come forward for prayer. He leads the congregation in a prayer of surrender and trust, declaring that God hears every cry, that His plans are to prosper and not to harm, and that He is doing things in the unseen realm that we cannot yet imagine. The message is clear: don't give up in the waiting. God is not silent — He is working, and your season of waiting is becoming something far greater than you know.