Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, He has the patience of a saint. I was thinking about God today, and how patient He is with me, and I used that phrase to describe Him in my mind.
But then I thought, well, that doesn’t make any sense. Because He IS a saint. Or, He’s the Saint of All The Saints. But maybe I shouldn’t call Him that because it takes away His divine nature. And then I started worrying that I was really getting my doctrine all mixed up and I was losing track of where I was going with that thought process, so I just went back to …
God is patient with me.
Very patient.
Have you read verses 5-8 of the 5th chapter of the book of James in the Bible recently? You may want to take a look at them. And if you have the Message version of the Bible, pull it out.
If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought.
[OK. Lean in close here … this is the drum roll part …]
People who ‘worry their prayers’ are like wind whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.
Oh. My. Word.
That has my name on it. You too?
The Wind Whipped Worrier.
How often I have taken my needs, requests, begging, to God … because nothing else seemed to work? Sometimes it seems easier and quicker to read a book to get direction. Talk to my sister. Try and figure it out and come up with my own solution. All before breakfast and all before praying about it.
Lord, have mercy.
Keeping all your options open is not the mark of a Christ-follower.
Have you struggled with this?
If I don’t see Him moving fast enough, or responding with the answer I have already decided I should have, or He just seems silent …
I go back to trying to fix the situation on my own. On my timeline. In a way I believe is best.
And this brings me back to …
God is patient with me.
Very patient.
Oh, this God that I love so much will meet every single need I have. He will answer every single prayer. He will give me the strength, peace, joy, and all the things I need to get through.
But He is not a genie in the bottle. A grantor of wishes.
He is not “one option.”
Lord, forgive me.
Forgive me for doubting.
Forgive me for my unbelief.
Maybe you—like I do—quickly acknowledge that you believe in God. But when push comes to shove, you and I don’t believe God. That requires us to relinquish control and let Someone Else be in charge.
Recognizing the difference has been a faith-changer for me.
I’m learning that worrying and praying can’t co-exist. They are mutually exclusive.
Worrying pulls me out of believing that God hears and answers my prayers.
Praying pulls me out of my worrying.
Worrying my prayers – bobbing along like I’m riding a wind-whipped wave – makes me a little seasick.
I want stability. I want to cling to His promises that He will keep.
You are loved by a God who wants the very best for you. He is not withholding any good thing from you. He is never late. He is a good, good God.
He is a patient God.
Who loves you more than you can imagine.
