“I want patience, and I want it right now!”
I love this old tongue-in-cheek adage—Probably because I’ve either said it or alluded to it with my thoughts and actions so many times that this desire has found a way to weave itself right into the fabric of who I am! I’m not proud of that fact…And, I suspect I’m not alone! Time to unravel that thread! (Immediately, of course!)
There are so many things in our lives that we wait for, aren’t there? Acceptance letters, test results, return phone calls or e-mails, situations we wish would change, healing, stop lights, our turn in line, birthdays, visits….The list is infinite!
Some things yield foreseeable results:
“I know that if I wait for 3-4 minutes, the popcorn in the microwave will be popped!”
Some things have approximate time-frames:
“I know that I will probably graduate from college in 4-5 years.”
Some things have no end in sight:
“I pray that my friend would be healed, but I have no idea when or if that might happen.”
It’s hard to wait in all cases; however it’s the last instance—The indefinite wait-- that seems to wreck the most havoc in our hearts. It’s been throughout a season of this kind of waiting that the Lord has decided to reveal some things about patience to me—Some things to help drown out the ticks of the clock of passing time and, instead, rescue the beautiful hum of blessings the Lord has to give.
Did you know that the Bible is filled to overflowing with people that had to exude patience as they waited upon the Lord?
Let’s take a look at some of these people—And their season of waiting!
Leader Calling Waiting Scripture Reference
Abraham Father of a nation 25 yrs Genesis Ch. 11-25
Joseph Leader of a nation 13 yrs, + 10 more Genesis Ch. 37-50
Moses Deliverer of a nation 40 yrs. + 40 more Ex., Lev., Nu., Dt.
David King of a nation 17 yrs + 7.5 more 1 Sam. 16-1 Kgs Ch. 2
Joshua and Zerubbabel Rebuilders of a nation 20 yrs Ezra Ch. 2:2-5:2
John the Baptist 4runner of Messiah 1-2 yrs. Lk Ch. 1,3, 9(Mt, Mk, Jn, too)
Mary Mother of Messiah 33 yrs Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Paul Witness to Messiah 33 yrs Acts 7:58-28:31; NT Letters
Noah Salvation from Flood 2-5 yrs Genesis Ch. 5:28-10:32
Jacob Return to homeland 20 yrs Genesis Ch. 25-50
Joshua and Caleb Conquering of Canaan 45 yrs. + 2-5 more Numbers Ch. 13-14; Joshua
Hannah Have a child 5-15 yrs 1 Samuel Ch. 1,2
Esther Salvation for a nation About 5 yrs Esther
(table is a compilation from When God Waits: Making Sense of Divine Delays by Jerome Daley, and the Life Application Bible)
All of the people listed above were told by God that they would be used for certain things or that certain events would happen, but none of these things came true right away! “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). -- But why does it take so long to see that good sometimes?
Jerome Daley, in When God Waits: Making Sense of Divine Delays reminds us that waiting periods are actually blessings. He says that we should “unwrap the gift of waiting and discover its unique purpose in your journey.” The gift of waiting? What?!
You see, for every one of the people listed above, and in our own lives, we can either choose to fight the time of waiting or use it to learn and grow closer to the One who gifted us with the time in the first place! It’s the latter choice that oozes with the juice of the patience fruit.
During college, I worked at Kinko’s. When the store was full of eager customers, the day would fly by faster than I could have imagined. Those days when nobody seemed to come in, on the other hand…Wow! The clock’s second hand seemed to be glued in place; one day seemed to last forever!
Perhaps that is the secret to the fruit of patience. When we are in a waiting period (as we all are or will be soon!), what do we do with it? Will we fold into ourselves and get frustrated and angry with God over it? Or, will we remember the words of Romans 8:28, acknowledging that out of His love for us, God works all things together for the good of those who love him?
There is a song by John Waller—It’s called “While I’m Waiting”. He tells us how to develop patience honestly and clearly. Take a look at the words:
I'm waitingI'm waiting on You, LordAnd I am hopefulI'm waiting on You, LordThough it is painfulBut patiently, I will waitI will move ahead, bold and confidentTaking every step in obedienceWhile I'm waitingI will serve YouWhile I'm waitingI will worshipWhile I'm waitingI will not faintI'll be running the raceEven while I waitI'm waitingI'm waiting on You, LordAnd I am peacefulI'm waiting on You, LordThough it's not easyBut faithfully, I will waitYes, I will wait
(if you want to hear the song, it’s on YouTube along with some scenes from the movie Fireproof)
Did you see the keys to being patient?
Here’s what I found:
-Serving the Lord
-Worshipping the Lord
-Walking (running!) with the Lord daily
-Faith
-Hope and trust that God’s Plans are best
-A bold commitment to wait
Just like the other fruits of the Spirit, patience is really an action verb! It’s the action of surrendering.
John 3:30 says, “He [Jesus] must become greater; I must become less.”
Psalm 18:30-32 says, “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock besides the Lord? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.”
I referred to a season of waiting that I was in at the beginning of the study—That season continues. But somehow it seems shorter, even though the calendar wouldn’t agree. Oh, I still need reminders to surrender my wants and to let God be in charge. My journal still feels the wrath of my pen some nights, and my prayers are not always cheery and hopeful. But, my attitude is changing—I’ve been excited to see what God has already done in this waiting period, and I’m curious to see what’s ahead! I hope and pray the same for you, as you journey through waiting periods and cultivate the soil of patience.
Reflection
Take a look at the list of Biblical heroes that had seasons of waiting above. Think about one of them. Perhaps you want to read some of their story.
-What did they do during their time of waiting?
-What did God do?
-How was God able to use them because of their faithfulness?
The Bible is also full of encouragement we can grasp onto in times of waiting. Take a look at one or two of these Scriptures:
-Isaiah 40:29-31
-Hebrews 6:10-12
-Hebrews 10:23
-Psalm 27:14
1. What does the verse say about the Lord?
2. What does the verse say about our perseverance?
3. What words of hope can you cling to in times of waiting?
Take a look at your own life:
-What is something you are waiting on/for?
-How could this waiting time be a gift?
-Lift up this time of waiting to the Lord in prayer. Ask Him to guide you in seeing how you can wait with and for Him. Lift up others around you that you know are also going through times of waiting.
-In what ways can you continue to serve and worship the Lord while you wait?
Look at Psalm 18:30-32 and Romans 8:28 again. Choose one to write down in a place where you can see it. When you do see it, take a moment to give God thanks and praise for Who He is and His perfect plans.
“Patience to the soul is as bread to the body…we eat bread with all our meats, both for health and relish; bread with flesh, bread with fish, bread with broths and fruits. Such is patience to every virtue; we must hope with patience, and pray in patience, and love with patience, and whatsoever good thing we do, let it be done in patience.” –Puritan Thomas Adams
No comments:
Post a Comment