September 3 Thought for Today – “Patience” “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground, and steadied me as I walked along.” Psalm 40:1-2 For most of us, “patience” is not our strong suit. Yet, as we look at the history of man, it may be one of the attributes God most desires in us all. Ever since sin entered the hearts of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the earth and mankind have been waiting for the era of sin to be over. Eons later, we still are waiting. From the time God told Abram he would be the “father of many nations,” Abraham waited (impatiently, I’d say) until both he and Sari were past the age of child-bearing. From the time Joseph was thrown into the pit at age 17 until he stood before Pharaoh at age 30, thirteen years passed. And from the time the Children of Israel went down into Egypt until the Exodus, 490 years passed. Patience is inextricably linked with faith. Hebrews 11:1 opens with these words: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” Then the entire eleventh chapter, God’s great “Hall of Fame,” goes on to outline how His great heroes “died in faith, not having received the promises” (11:13). After outlining the agonies they suffered – mocking, scourging, stoning, “sawn in two,” left destitute, afflicted and tormented – they “did not receive the promise, God having provided ‘something better’” (Hebrews 11:36-40). The challenge with faith and patience is timing. In the gospel hymn, “No Night there,” is this line, “and they count not time by years.” We count time by minutes, hours, days, months and years. God doesn’t go by the same timetable. As God said in Isaiah 55:8: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways.” God’s timetable is supernal, ours is temporal. God sent Jesus to pay the price for our redemption from sin “in the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4). That expression, “fullness of time,” is repeated again in Ephesians 1:10 which speaks of when this present epoch will be completed: “that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.” That passage relates to Luke 21:24, “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Though we may long for that time to be fulfilled, God asks us to do so with patience. Hebrews 6:12 says that we inherit God’s promises through patience. James 1:3-4 reminds us that “the testing of your faith produces patience,” and that patience is a “perfect work, that (we) may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” 1 Timothy 6:11 says we are to “pursue patience” along with righteousness, godliness, faith, love and gentleness. Titus 2:2 relates patience to soundness. 2 Corinthians 6:4 says that patience helps “commend us as ministers of God,” while Colossians 1:11 says that patience helps “strengthen us.” As I said before, patience is not our strong suit (that includes me). So how do we learn patience? Life itself should be our great teacher, as we experience and endure the many trials, tribulations, joys and successes of life over time. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 asks that “the Lord Himself direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. That phrase, “patience of Christ,” raises many questions. Was it his patience in waiting so many years from creation until He paid the price for our sins? Was it His patience with the Jews who “though He came to His own, His own received Him not” (John 1:11), or is it His patience with us as we struggle to be fully committed to Him. Whatever Christ’s patience is, we are to ask God for patience like that of Jesus. Like most of mankind, I struggle with patience – especially when wondering which way to turn. Years ago, I was in a quandary as to “which way to go” in a matter and had been praying earnestly about it. As it was, my daily Bible reading that day included Psalm 37:34. In the years since, I have gone back to that verse many times, and greatly benefited from the lesson in patience it offers: “Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Travel steadily along His path, and He will honor you, giving you the land!” Selah! copsonthestreet
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 10:42:06 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015