"Patience is a virtue." How many times have we heard that? It seem like whenever there's something on the horizon that we don't see yet, or an answer to our solutions that's just around the corner, a friend or family member draws alongside and tries to offer some encouragement with those four small words. It might involve a job promotion or paying back that student loan. It might even have to do with bearing someone's unwanted character flaw. Someone at church who is a talker. A child who's lazy and won't clean up after themselves.
It's as if patience will get you through the situation. In fact, if we look back in the book of Galatians, one of the fruit of the Spirit is patience. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. Against such there is no law." But if we consider the verse and what God wants to do in our hearts, it's more than just developing a virtue. Anyone can meditate for thirty minutes or sit quietly while a son or daughter decides whether or not to tell the truth. It all has to do with what you're doing while you're waiting. God desires to draw near and be the one we rely on during that time of duress or difficulty. And waiting on Him is the object lesson.
Jesus tells the parable of the unjust judge who is holding back on ruling on a widow's case. And the widow comes night after night, knocking at his door, pleading for him to listen to her. And finally the judge says to himself, "I'll just listen to her only to get her to stop pestering me!" The parable is meant to demonstrate the importance of prayer and seeking God in our situations. Unlike the unjust judge, God wants to hear from us. He wants us to keep knocking. Not to play a game of "Who can catch my attention," or "Let's see how long I can get her to keep coming back." He wants us to rely on Him to move us through the difficulty or situation.
We had an incident when we had to wait on God to arrange carpool for our daughter. Jessie faced a difficult situation where she had to stay with a girl at a house until Annie came and picked her up after work. We thought it was a good arrangement as she was an acquaintance. But after a while the girl began to pick on Jessie and copy off of her homework without permission. There were other issues, but Jessie began to buckle under pressure. We went to the Lord for help, and we found a friend with whom Jessie could go home. But Annie had to talk to the other mother about the incident. And the mother was one of those "Extra Grace Required" women who could easily be rubbed the wrong way. So we went to God in prayer. Again and again. And on the day Annie was going to talk to the mother, I found myself at work continually lifting her up in prayer.
If this sounds like it's getting off course, it's not. Patience isn't about developing a waiting nature against time. It's about asking God to draw close to us while we wait on Him and His answer. He pours out His grace on us during that period. It's difficult sometimes. Perhaps a friend has cancer and we're asking for comfort. Or perhaps a child is having difficulty in school and we're praying for a better reporte with the teacher. Whatever the situation, when we wait on God and seek His way, He gives us the grace and direction to move through the situation. Then, whatever the answer, He is glorified and we find peace through the difficult time.
No comments:
Post a Comment