By Beth Fore
“Be patient, then, brothers and
sisters, until the Lord’s coming.
See how the farmer waits for
the land to yield its valuable crop
and how patient he is for the autumn and
spring rains. You, too, be patient
and stand firm, because the
Lord’s coming is near.”
(James 5:7-8 NIV)
Waiting . . .
Sometimes the waiting we do in life
is the most difficult thing to do.
We are never certain what the future holds,
and it is hard to know what to pursue.
This precious time that we spend waiting
teaches us to trust in You, Father,
and to spend time communing with You,
as through prayers with You we confer.
Often it is the time we spend waiting
that transforms our inner being.
We have time to reflect and introspect
as You open our eyes to “seeing.”
I have been waiting a long time now
to know what my future has in store;
but the longer I wait, the more I learn
to believe and trust in You more.
Teach me to be quiet and patient, Father,
and to give all of my heart to You.
Help me embody the fruits of Your spirit
and to Your will forever be true.
Beth Fore
*Waiting is not something human beings like to do or know how to do well. It is something we must experience and seek God’s help in doing if we are to learn all of the lessons He wants us to learn from waiting.
“You, too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.” (James 5:8 NIV)
As human beings, we are very aware of time. We plan our schedules, allocating so much reasonable time, to accomplish each task. We are not happy (and we often display our impatience) when something interrupts our schedule and takes much longer than we anticipated. At its very core, this is an example of our need and desire to control our lives with little consideration for God’s will and intended use of our time.
Learning to wait patiently on the Lord may be one of the most difficult, and beneficial, disciplines we learn in this life. It encourages us to give up our time and resources, our needs and goals, and our control and will, and give it to God! We become dependent on God, rather than independent on ourselves. We have time to think, to listen, to meditate, to “be,” and to grow up and mature in Jesus Christ. We have time to spend in prayer, in Bible study, in worship, in helping other people, in sharing Christ with the lost, and in many other spiritual matters.
When we spend days, months, and even years, praying for the Holy Spirit to transform us and other people into the likeness of Christ, we demonstrate our faith and trust in God. When we are patient at the stores, in line at the bank, at the doctor’s office, on the phone with a business person, we are shining the light of Jesus into those around us. Most people will be impatient in these situations, so patience is noticed and appreciated. We have a choice to choose to be the impatient person in line, or the patient person. Let’s make the better choice and be the patient one!
APPLICATIONS
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how do you rate yourself in demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit, patience? Are you satisfied with your rating? Why, or why not?
- Think of several situations where you are especially impatient. Write down some specific things you can do to try to improve in these situations.
- Think of some circumstances where people are gathered together and someone demonstrates impatience to others. What can you say, or do, to make peace?
- Think of some thing, or some one, whom you have prayed for a long time and God answered your prayer favorably. How did this affect your prayer life, your faith, your trust in God?
- Look at patience as a discipline to be learned that will make you more mature spiritually. How can this approach make it easier for you to become a patient person?
If you want to learn more about what it means to be a Christian or to become a Christian, click this link: https://woww.newlifebehavior.org/what-it-means-to-follow-jesus-how-to-become-a-christian/
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