Wait Quietly

“And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise” (Heb. 6:15).

Abraham was long tried, but he was richly rewarded. The Lord tried him by delaying to fulfill His promise. Satan tried him by temptation; men tried him by jealousy, distrust, and opposition; Sarah tried him by her peevishness. But he patiently endured. He did not question God‘s veracity, nor limit His power, nor doubt His faithfulness, nor grieve His love; but he bowed to Divine Sovereignty, submitted to Infinite Wisdom, and was silent under delays, waiting the Lord’s time. And so, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

God’s promises cannot fail of their accomplishment. Patient waiters cannot be disappointed. Believing expectation shall be realized.

Beloved, Abraham’s conduct condemns a hasty spirit, reproves a murmuring one, commends a patient one, and encourages quiet submission to God‘s will and way. Remember, Abraham was tried; he patiently waited; he received the promise, and was satisfied. Imitate his example, and you will share the same blessing.-Selected

http://devotionals.ochristian.com/mrs-charles-cowman-streams-in-the-desert-devotional.shtml

 

Life in the Waiting Room

“They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength.” Isaiah 40:31 ESV

We’ve all heard the prayer: “Lord, make me more patient—and do it now!” Of all the spiritual virtues, patience is one that tends to be troublingly elusive. Let’s face it; if patience is a virtue, most of us are not very virtuous. It’s flat out hard to wait.

Think of how you feel when you’re late for a critical engagement and caught in a traffic jam. I find it tough when I’m in a hurry and rush to the “10 items or less” line at the grocery store, and then have to wait while the guy in front of me pulls 16 items out of the basket and casually chats with the clerk. How did I know it was 16 items? I counted them, piece by piece!

When life or people don’t measure up to our expectations, being patient can be quite a challenge. But it’s clear that God wants us to develop this character trait. After all, patience is more than a virtue—it’s a fruit of the Spirit. It reflects His very presence in our lives, for He is a patient God. If He weren’t, we all would have been annihilated long ago.

So what’s our problem?

There’s a good probability that our struggle with patience has been unsuccessful because we’ve been trying to focus on our own agendas and timelines and not trusting that, for reasons best known to Him, God may have a whole different schedule for us. Our propensity to live with a short fuse is all about forgetting that God puts us in His waiting room on purpose, because He is often doing something behind the scenes while we wait.

It might be as simple as teaching us to be more concerned with the struggles and feelings of others rather than being totally taken with our own interest and plans. There is plenty of evidence as well that God interrupts the normal flow of our lives to open unusual opportunities to be used of Him in unexpected ways. Or, it just may be that God wants to give us the opportunity to show what His patience is like by demonstrating it to others.

One thing we can be sure of—God’s time is always the right time. His management of our situations—whether in traffic or in the “ten items or less” line—is always the best management. Patience is not learning to wait for others; it’s learning to wait on God and to cooperate with His work in our lives. Next time impatience begins to stress you out, stop and ask God what He is saying to you; ask Him to show you why your expectations and schedule have been hijacked. Then take a deep breath and trust. Trust that He is at work in you and in the situation.

So, the next time you have to wait, “wait for the Lord”!

YOUR JOURNEY…

• What kinds of situations make you impatient?
• What are you waiting for right now?
• What are some ways that God might be working in your situation while you wait?
• How has God caused you to better understand patience today, and what will you do to develop this important trait?

http://getmorestrength.org/daily/life-in-the-waiting-room/

The Insulted King

“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.” — Micah 7:18

Moses Cordevero, a 16^th century rabbi living in Safed, wrote an entire book on the last three verses of Micah. His book, titled Palm Tree of Deborah, is all about emulating God. The books begins by explaining that man was created “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27). That means, according to Rabbi Cordevero, in order for man to reach his potential, he must imitate God. The more he can mimic his Creator, the greater a man he will be.

So, where is the instruction manual for becoming godly? Cordevero pointed to the last verses of Micah. In them, he identified 13 character traits of God. The person who wishes to perfect himself will master them all.

Here is a look at trait number one. “Who is a God like you?” asked the prophet. God is unique – no one is like Him. In what way is the LORD unlike any other deity? Was Micah referring to God’s strength?  Perhaps he was referring to God’s glory? No, the trait for which God is most unique is his unfathomable patience.

Jewish tradition teaches that the angels call God “the insulted King.” What do they mean by this? Cordevero explained that at any given moment, God is sustaining the entire world. Nothing could exist if God were not breathing life into it every single second of the day.

And what do we do with the life force that God gives to us? We use it against him! When we sin, it’s like a King who gives his servants food and money and then they use their strength and funds to lead a revolt against him. How insulting!

God is unique because any other ruler would dispose of such ungrateful subjects. But not our God. He patiently waits for us to mend our ways. He waits years – even until the day of a person’s death – for him to repent. God’s love for us is so deep, and His patience is without limit.

In his book, Cordevero encourages us to acquire the patience of God. Although someone may insult you and repay your goodness with bad, we are not to take away our love. We are to wait patiently and humbly until they can fix their ways.

Now, that doesn’t mean there aren’t limits. God is patient as long as He sees that the person is still capable of repenting. When it’s obvious that a person will never become better, we are forbidden to let them hurt us over and over again. However, when it comes to an ungrateful teenager or a grumpy co-worker, it pays to wait it out.

God is incredibly patient with us. Shouldn’t we learn to be more patient with each other?

http://www.holylandmoments.org/devotionals/the-insulted-king

Wait With Patience

“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him” (Ps. 37:7).

Have you prayed and prayed and waited and waited, and still there is no manifestation?

Are you tired of seeing nothing move? Are you just at the point of giving it all up? Perhaps you have not waited in the right way? This would take you out of the right place the place where He can meet you.

“With patience wait” (Rom. 8:25). Patience takes away worry. He said He would come, and His promise is equal to His presence. Patience takes away your weeping. Why feel sad and despondent? He knows your need better than you do, and His purpose in waiting is to bring more glory out of it all. Patience takes away self-works. The work He desires is that you “believe” (John 6:29), and when you believe, you may then know that all is well. Patience takes away all want. Your desire for the thing you wish is perhaps stronger than your desire for the will of God to be fulfilled in its arrival.

Patience takes away all weakening. Instead of having the delaying time, a time of letting go, know that God is getting a larger supply ready and must get you ready too. Patience takes away all wobbling. “Make me stand upon my standing” (Daniel 8:18, margin). God’s foundations are steady; and when His patience is within, we are steady while we wait. Patience gives worship. A praiseful patience sometimes “long-suffering with joyfulness” (Col. 1:11) is the best part of it all. “Let (all these phases of) patience have her perfect work” (James 1:4), while you wait, and you will find great enrichment. –C. H. P.

Hold steady when the fires burn,
When inner lessons come to learn,
And from this path there seems no turn
“Let patience have her perfect work.”
–L.S.P.

http://devotionals.ochristian.com/mrs-charles-cowman-streams-in-the-desert-devotional.shtml

Becoming Entirely His

Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing —James 1:4

Many of us appear to be all right in general, but there are still some areas in which we are careless and lazy; it is not a matter of sin, but the remnants of our carnal life that tend to make us careless. Carelessness is an insult to the Holy Spirit. We should have no carelessness about us either in the way we worship God, or even in the way we eat and drink.

Not only must our relationship to God be right, but the outward expression of that relationship must also be right. Ultimately, God will allow nothing to escape; every detail of our lives is under His scrutiny. God will bring us back in countless ways to the same point over and over again. And He never tires of bringing us back to that one point until we learn the lesson, because His purpose is to produce the finished product. It may be a problem arising from our impulsive nature, but again and again, with the most persistent patience, God has brought us back to that one particular point. Or the problem may be our idle and wandering thinking, or our independent nature and self-interest. Through this process, God is trying to impress upon us the one thing that is not entirely right in our lives.

We have been having a wonderful time in our studies over the revealed truth of God’s redemption, and our hearts are perfect toward Him. And His wonderful work in us makes us know that overall we are right with Him. “Let patience have its perfect work . . . .” The Holy Spirit speaking through James said, “Now let your patience become a finished product.” Beware of becoming careless over the small details of life and saying, “Oh, that will have to do for now.” Whatever it may be, God will point it out with persistence until we become entirely His.

http://utmost.org/becoming-entirely-his/

Developing Patience

“Tribulation worketh patience.”                                                    Ro 5:3

How do you develop patience? Through tribulation! When your honesty seems to go unnoticed, when your hard work seems to go unrewarded, when your kindness is rendered without thanks, when your helping hand is offered and ignored, when even love is refused—that’s when patience shines in all its beauty. Paul writes, “Tribulation worketh patience.” You’ve seen this principle at work in the development of children. One child, overly shielded and protected, grows up into a weakling without ambition and courage, destined to failure. Another, left to fight their own battles, to struggle, to learn through trial and error, grows into near-perfect maturity. The same principle applies to the Christian life when you realize that each storm brings its blessings and each trial produces its rewards. Let’s look at three practical benefits of patience: First, patience brings hope. “Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled” (Ro 15:4 NLT). Second, patience produces spiritual fruit. “And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest” (Lk 8:15 NLT). Third, through patience you receive what God has promised. “Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance” (Heb 6:12 NLT).

http://theencouragingword.wordpress.com/2012/07/05/developing-patience/