Patience

 

Lord give me patience and hurry up about it.

What is patience? It is not waiting for something. It is what we do whilst we are waiting for something. It is our behaviour whilst we have to wait. It is our state of mind during that period of waiting and expectation.

Do we fret? Do we worry? Do we pace up and down wondering what will happen next? Do we imagine all sorts of bad things happening? Do we wonder whether God is listening, caring, or whether He loves us at all? Has He forgotten us? Abandoned us in our hour of need?

Patience is a description of our behaviour. It is easy to say that our behaviour should be God-centered and that we should trust Him in everything. It's the sort of thing many Christians say when someone is in some difficulty.

I don't think this helps. When someone is starving you give him something to eat, you don't quote the Bible at him.

In the same way, when someone is hurting you should offer them practical help if you can; not tell them to trust in God. If practical help is not possible offer to pray for them and do so with all your heart.

We pray, and pray and pray and wait ... patiently. Do not rush God. Do not give Him deadlines or advice on what He should do.

You'd be surprised how many people there are who want to serve God in an advisory capacity.

Good patience is praying with confidence - whilst we wait.

As every parent knows, when children go on and on pestering for something or other, eventually, because we love them, we may well give way and answer their demands.

In fact, Jesus reminds us of this when He mentions the widow who kept pestering the judge day in day out until eventually he gave way and gave her what she wanted. (Luke Chapter 18). In this parable Jesus teaches us not to be discouraged and to continue praying to God our Father for our needs or that of others.

That is what patience should be. To pray in full confidence that God will look after us as a good parent cares for his children.