Patience
Patience is the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.
Yes, you read that right. There CAN be joy in patience. This might go against your own theology or views on how we see things about patience, but continue reading as I have a word for you all.
Ever since I got in church, I have been told to not pray for patience. As it is said, If you pray for patience, then God will put you in a situation that tests your patience. Maybe that is so, but I also ask, how many times have you been put in situations that tested your patience when you have not prayed for it? 🤔 If you have kids, your patience is tested every day...at least that is true for me.. 😅
God has been giving me more of an understanding in patience. Patience is needed to live for God until the time of His coming. It is also part of the Fruit of the Spirit. So, why do we not seek to have more patience? If we were to have more patience, wouldn't we be more kind to others that might try us? If we were to have more patience wouldn't we be slow to anger? If we had more patience wouldn't we trust God more in our trials and situations? I am writing this to try to help you in your walk with God. He is still working on me in this area, as I'm sure He will until I cross that chilly Jordan. But I wanted to share a few tidbits on what God is teaching me.
Patience appears in the New Testament 34 times in the KJV. Here are just a few verses...
Luke 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
Rom 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
In just these few verses we read we possess our soul with patience, tribulation produces patience and then it leads to hope, and have patience with JOYfullness. I could list many more scriptures where it talks about the need for patience, but these few really speak volumes to me.
But....
In order to truly have joy in patience, we must first understand what patience is. The definition of patience is...
"the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset."
In case you didn't completely get that, go ahead and read it again. To accept or tolerate, WITHOUT getting angry or upset. So, to go to the less extreme of this definition, it reminds me of many times waiting in line at the store. It seems that I always get behind the one person in the whole store that takes forever to check out. Either they can't find their rewards card or they have to count out their change exactly and just can't seem to find that extra dime they just know they have... even though they pulled out a quarter first. I'm sure this resides with some that are reading this. I try to appear that I am patiently waiting, but inside I am yelling, "JUST GIVE THEM THAT QUARTER, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!! Then we just smile and nod as they apologize for taking so long. But if we look back at the definition of patience, I most defiantly would be getting upset. In these situations, it may seem frivolous and unnecessary, but God can and will use the small situations in our lives to help and teach us things.
Now, as I said before, that was the less extreme. Now let's go to the spiritual side of the spectrum.
Has God ever given you a word or promise? Maybe he told you to do something but to wait for His release to go do it. How exciting it is to have our God speak to us about what He plans to do or wants to do in us or through us. Then weeks, months, or even years go by and that promise isn't fulfilled. That word that was spoken to you... That promise God has given you fades into that background and we question if it was truly from God or did we think it ourselves. Or maybe the person that God used to give us the word of promise wasn't right. We start to get frustrated and impatient.
For example...
I waited 8 years for a promise to come to pass. There were times when I even tried to help God fulfill that promise. As if God really needs help, right? After years of waiting, instead of waiting for God to open a door, I tried to open any door I could, and I thought that if it wasn't of God, He would close it. This only added to the frustration because the doors I tried to open had things behind them that hurt me emotionally and even spiritually at times. But once I completely gave it all to God (my frustration, impatience, and weariness...ALL of it), HE opened the door He made ready for me to walk through. And now I am living in my promise.
If God has ever given you a promise, I can tell you that He WILL fulfill it. It's not in our timing though. That's why we NEED to pray for patience and find JOY in patience. Now, yes, God will put us in situations that will test our patience. But what happens if we pray for greater faith or trust in Him? Will He not do the same? But we would never say don't pray from greater faith or greater trust. We need to ask God for understanding in patience and how we can be more patient.
This next part might not seem to fit with what I'm saying, but I really feel led to say it.
About six years ago God spoke to me and said, "Be still." That then became the theme for all of the signs and pictures in my house. At the time, I didn't really understand what it meant. Over the years, I have talked with many people that God has spoken the same words to. It wasn't until I started really praying and studying about patience, that I truly understand what it means to be still. For some, it might be a physical stillness, but for many, I believe it's more of a patience thing than anything. How can we be still if we are trying to "help" God fulfill His word and promise? If we are always asking, "Ok God, what am I supposed to be doing," then we are not being still.
So, let's not get frustrated in the waiting. I know, it's easier said than done. But that's where prayer comes in. PRAY FOR PATIENCE and God will work it in you. He does have a plan for you and He is working it out right now. Even when we don't see it happening.
The storm might seem long, but wait (be patient) in the Lord and He will bring you to the other side. He will fulfill His plan. He will bring that promise to pass. He WILL do all that He has said He would do.
