Learning to be patient
2022-02-03Psalm 37:7 CEV
The more we learn to trust God, the more we’ll learn to be patient. David said, ‘Trust the LORD and live right! The land will be yours, and you will be safe. Do what the LORD wants, and he will give you your heart’s desire’ (v.3-4 CEV). We might be striving and struggling to achieve something now, but if we just trusted in God’s timing, it would come easily to us when the moment was right.
Sometimes we’re not ready for the things we want, so God withholds them until we’re properly equipped for them (as long as they’re part of His plan for us). For example, we might want a better job, but God makes us wait until we’ve developed the skills and knowledge we need, and are ready for the extra responsibility before giving us the opportunity. In the Amplified Bible, we read, ‘Patience [which is tireless and long-suffering, and has the power to endure whatever comes, with good temper]’ (Colossians 3:12 AMPC).
God teach us how to wait, and He also teaches us how to have a good attitude while we’re waiting. The Message paraphrases James’ words: ‘Don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature’ (James 1:4 MSG). The more we realise that God keeps His promises, the more we’ll be willing to trust Him and His timing, however long it takes.
God sometimes allows certain things to happen to teach us how to 1) maintain our faith when times get tough, 2) show grace under pressure by controlling our responses, and 3) develop new skills and better ways of thinking. We may think we know what we want and where we should be, but God really does know. So let’s ‘be patient and trust the LORD.’