BY Diana Stone
How often God must look down on us, hurrying and beseeching and pushing to get our way. He must smile and say to Himself, “Oh child, if you could only see what I have planned for you. Don’t rush it.”
The pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem sang His praises because they were in the midst of great blessings. God had answered years of prayers and heartache with joy.
Years. There is the key word.
When I read the story of the Israelites wandering the desert for 40 years, I often cringe inside thinking, “Wow. Many people then didn’t even live to 40, they spent their entire lives in the desert.” And yet, leader after leader showed up, obeyed God’s direction, and steered them to a place where they could rejoice and give thanks for what generations had longed for. God had a plan in the middle of what they all thought was a giant mess. He was patient with their sins because He knew if they could hold on, what He had in store would be worth it.
It simply took much longer than anyone else thought.
We are surrounded by deserts in our own lives all the time. Each of us faces reasons to become impatient, to be short with each other. In Ephesians, Paul writes, “…be patient with each other…” (Ephesians 4:2 NLT) and of all virtues, this tends to be one where I struggle the most. I can give God a few weeks, if I’m feeling generous maybe months, to work things out for me. People in my life? That needs to be almost instant.
Both cause me to stumble with my ability to love and my faith in God. My timing isn’t His. It shouldn’t be pushed on others. I need to praise Him in the desert, where my patience finds faith and clings to it when I can’t imagine what is taking so long.
46 thoughts on "patience"
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These verses from 1 Thes really spoke to me this morning: "We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16Rejoice always, 17pray without ceasing, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19Do not quench the Spirit. 20Do not despise prophecies, 21but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22Abstain from every form of evil."
It reminded me of how great my need for Jesus is, to cleanse my sins. These verses are jam packed with commands, how often to I fail in these commands, how great is my need for Jesus to forgive me, cleanse me, and help me to walk more in His path each and ever day!
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*Your prayers
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Needed this so badly. Me & my boyfriend of almost a year have spent half that time apart due to travel. This year I’m going to Russia & am having to leave him behind. Because of our separations, when we ARE together, we tend to push our boundaries physically. So we’re having to be patient for two very important things. God’s timing is PERFECT. Anyone reading this, please also keep both of us in yo ut prayers
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I struggle so m6ch to be patient with others. I constantly find myself mentally (and verbally) critiquing others. My focus for Lent has been to be more patient and try to see others as God sees them… it has been an epic fail. Thanks for the reminder and encouragement!
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So many thoughts on this post that I don’t know how to condense them all into one comment. So I’ll just say Amen & thank you for SRT. The spirit of our Lord is really at work in me & I’m so grateful.
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"I need to praise Him in the desert!" This is so true for my life right now. Been somewhat secretly battling debilitating medical stuff for over a year. Patience is one of the hardest parts. My whole life is ahead of me and God has great plans for my life! Have to hold on to the promises! Persevere thru this time and come out even stronger on the other side. Thank You for this devotion and your comments today!
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I find myself praying for patience far too many times while in the midst of being completely impatient. Sure, that's a good time to pray for the much needed patience in the moment. But, shouldn't I be praying for patience more frequently than that? For patience before situations arise? This is what God is showing me today, through this scripture and everyone's posts. By my impatience (mostly, by my and my husband's current living situation) I am not trusting in His timing or His plan. Lord, you know my heart. You know my frustrations. You know my impatience. Please take form me my frustration and impatience, I lay them at your feet. I want to FULLY trust in Your plan and Your timing. And despite the frustrations with our current situation, I thank you. Amen.
"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalms 27:14 NIV
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Margie, I just have to say your post is speaking volumes to me…my son is really putting me thru the grinder and that is the #1 reason I pray for patience! Again, it is hard for me not to force a solution, but I know better now. I need to find more joy in my heart, and realize this may take a lot longer… I know it’s not to just upset me, he’s struggling really hard… Thank you!
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Ellen, my prayers are with you. Raising children are not for the faint of heart. The verse I really claimed during those years was, Jerimiah 29:11- For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. I knew The Lord was with my son as he was with me. Take care & God bless,
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