(Romans 12:12)
Being patient. One of the virtues that I am most lacking would have to be
patience. I have a difficult time waiting, sitting back, not moving
forward.
While God wants us to be active, to be busy about our life and work for Him,
there are times and situations that call for us to be patient. There are
times and situations when we just have to wait on Him. It takes spiritual
discernment to be able to know whether we should be moving forward on
something, getting more involved, or just allowing God to do His work.
Again, just as in hearing God's voice, having this kind of discernment
requires that close, intimate daily contact with the Lord to know what we
should do. From my experience, let me give you a few things I have learned
about waiting on God.
In those big decisions in life, where to live, where to work, who our spouse
will be, where we should go to college....those major decisions that can
dramatically change our life....waiting on God is critical. That doesn't
mean we sit in our room with the curtains drawn, waiting for a lightning
bolt
from the sky. It means we move forward, but slowly, watching the signs God
gives us along the way, not trying to force our will into the situation.
God
is really good about letting us know when we are headed in the wrong
direction, but it requires us to WANT to hear him. So often we want
something so bad, we try to make God point us in the same direction. I am
not saying that our will and His will aren't the same at times, but they are
also different at times. You must be willing to put your will aside and try
to see what God wants. He will guide you, closing doors to show you that is
not the right path to walk down, and opening doors to show you that is the path
He
wants you to walk down. Patience is waiting on God to show us His way
instead
of simply doing it our way, and hoping God approves.
Of course, there are many circumstances where patience is the only option.
These would involve other people. You are not responsible for the actions
of
anyone but yourself, and you CANNOT change another person's heart. Only God
can do that. In those cases where others are involved, patience is your
only
option because it usually requires God moving on the heart of another.
These
are the times when your faith is tested. You must draw closer to the Lord
for
support instead of pulling away, and trust that He is in control. These are
most difficult, because it is so easy to just give up. But trusting God is
what this life is about, and being patient while God works out those
complicated situations in our life are what makes us strong and mature
spiritually.
I will be praying for you today to find the patience you need in your life
to
wait for and trust God. Patience is actually a test of our faith because we
are saying "I trust you God and will wait on you to move". I love you and
am
praying for you to be patient today in those circumstances that require God
to move in your life. Never forget that His timing is perfect and is
seldom
our timing. Be patient and wait on God!
