Patience seems to be the the prevalent prayer request I am receiving this week. Although we need to exercise it everyday, this generation’s tendency is to want it “now.” (i.e. Some of us get aggravated when we do not get immediate responses to our to our phone messages; not to mention dealing with our area’s traffic folly.)
We all have agendas to keep and to honor. They are important to our perception of Christian character. We all want our Christian witness/character to stand for truth, honor, and moral and spiritual responsibility. However, whenever our agendas get in the way of love, no matter how noble, no matter how important, we are out of sync with the Holy Spirit. Our soul’s purpose is to love God and love one another — to share God’s love. We must resist the temptation to allow external perceptions of oneself to deprive someone or “ourselves” of God’s love. For we are never more like Christ, than when we lay our lives down for love’s sake.
I believe patience is born out of the hope we have in Christ. The exercise of patience develops our faith, and most importantly makes us instruments of His love. If you find yourself, lacking patience; stop! – be still, breathe deeply, meditate upon His grace, then call upon the name of Jesus. He is our ever-present help in times of need. As David says in the Psalms, He is our fortress, strong tower, our shield, our refuge, he will uphold us by His power and in His love.
Leave a Reply