Read: Psalm 27:14
“Wait for the Lord: be courageous and let your heart be strong. Wait for the Lord.”
Proverbs 16:32
“Patience is better than power,”
Hebrews 6:11-12
“Now we want each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the final realization of your hope, so that you won’t become lazy, but imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance (or patience).”
Hebrews 6:15
“And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise.”
Understand:
- There is a one-word recurring theme in these verses. Have you found it? (Hint, what is better than power according to Proverbs 16:32?
Listen: On my faults, and I have many, is that I am truly an impatient person. For starters, I’m a fixer and when I see something wrong or someone hurting, I need to fix it. It’s a mental thing for me. It’s kind of like when I’m walking through a store and there is merchandise just laying on the floor. Maybe someone dropped it or it just fell off the shelf or hanger by itself. Who knows? The truth is I can’t simply walk by and leave it on the floor so I pick it up and put it back – yes, on the hanger, straightened out or in line on the shelf with its mates. I’d like to say that I’m just that considerate but really, it’s because that is out of place. It doesn’t look right. Something’s wrong with that picture and I have to fix it. Yes, I’m the type of person who will walk all the way back to the other side of the store to put something back when I decide I don’t need it instead of putting it on a random shelf. Again, this is not to pat myself on the back. It is to say that when you have that ‘fixer’ mentality, it is impossible to leave it alone. Sometimes, this results in a massive amount of patience – which I just don’t have. I believe God knows this about me and helps me learn this precious skill by, guess what? Allowing me to wait. There have been times when I’ve been in tears because of my impatience. It’s crazy, I know, but if you have this problem, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
If you look again at Hebrews 6:11-12, there is something to this waiting game. It states that we should “demonstrate . . . diligence.” You see, practicing patience is training us to be diligent in our life. In other words, training us to keep going and never give up. Let’s tie this together, shall we? In Romans 5:3-4, we are told “And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.” As we endure (not give up) it is shaping our character in a way that we maintain hope. Now why is hope important? Let’s look again at Hebrews chapter 6 but skip down to verses 17-20: “Because God wanted to show His unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope – like a sure and firm anchor of the soul – that enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner . . .” Hope serves as a sure and firm anchor of the soul. Romans 8:24 says “For in this hope, we were saved.” Jesus is our anchor and because of what He did for us by dying on the cross and taking our sins, we are saved. Our hope in Jesus and His faithfulness assures us of our salvation. Sometimes, actually very often, I just need this to sink it, especially when I’m struggling with being patient. God allowing me to wait allows me to develop my endurance which strengthens my character. My character then produces hope and “in this hope, [I] am saved”(Romans 8:24). That’s something isn’t it? It kind of gives me a whole new perspective on why I am practicing patience. How about you?
Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, You are amazing that you take time to work in us to help us see what You see. You are our hope and our salvation. Help us to know that in those times where we must endure and learn to be patient, You are strengthening our hope and allowing us to rest in our salvation through Jesus Christ. In Jesus name we pray, amen.
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