Patience
is a hard virtue to master. Humans are taught to feel impatient because of our instant
society. Everything we need is basically immediately served to us.
We
are impatient at home, work, school, church, etc. We have no idea what the
Bible means when it tells us to persevere in prayer and in life. This takes persistence
that will eventually have its work of perfecting us, so that we lack nothing (James
1:4-8).
It
is only when we patiently stand the test of time that we will inherit the
Heavenly crown of Life that God promises to those who love Him (James 1:12). Our
joy increases incrementally and we watch as our faith and peace grows.
We
earn blessings and rewards when we persevere and trust God during our
tribulation. Christ in us gives us His peace and wisdom through every trial.
As
we see in the life of Job, no trial can assail us that is not allowed by God's
unconditional love. He uses trials for the purpose of drawing us closer to His
presence within us, as we snuggle under the shelter of His wings.
God
is our strength, our shield, and our strong tower. He fills our heart with His
peace and joy in every daunting situation. We can trust Him with our whole
heart (Psalm 28:7).
Our
faith in God's faithfulness increases every time we patiently wait on His
timing and way. We see without a doubt that He has a perfect plan for us in His
grand scheme of things.
We
cling to Him with tired hands and shaky legs until He helps our unbelief and
enables us to stand firmly on our solid rock of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:12, 1
Corinthians 10:4).
The
secret is to depend on His strength in our trials, rather than on our human
resources. We can accomplish infinitely more good works and bear much more
fruit if we walk in the Spirit and live in the center of God's will.
Prayer:
Father
God, help us to cling to You each moment of every day and night until our trust
in You and reliance on You becomes a daily habit (Proverbs 3:5-6). We want to
have patience to wait on You and to see our salvation come through the
blessings from Your hand (2 Chronicles 20:17).
Use
our growing patience to lead others to faith in You, so that they can
experience for themselves Your goodness and blessings that You reserve only for
Your children. We look forward to spending eternity with You, and we wait for
You to take us Home to Heaven at Your earliest convenience.
Thought
for the Day:
Patience
enables us to experience life without the stress and anxiety that normally
accompany our trials and triumphs.
