Patience Grows as We Wait for God
OPENING PRAYER:
Dear Lord, please help me to be confident in your goodness. Help me to know that no matter what happens on this earth, that perfect eternity with you is ready and waiting for me. Please help me to live in full trust of that truth.
READ:
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” Psalms 37:7
“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.” James 5:7-8 (NIV)
REFLECT:
Covid-19 restrictions. This has been our reality for the past year and then some. Uncertainty, frustration and fear have been common feelings. Our patience has been tried all along the way. Fortunately, our knowledge of the virus has grown and we understand the risks better than ever. The opportunity to be vaccinated, at one time seemingly far off, is now available to all adults in our community, and just recently, some younger people too. Now, for many of us, waiting for a full return to “normal” is what tests our patience. Though the past year+ may seem like it’s lasted forever and has surely tested our fortitude, it’s nothing like the forbearance God has for us.
Rest easy and delight in the truth that eternal salvation is available to you, as well as every other person currently alive or yet to be born. Even though our earthly struggles may seem never ending, they are but the blink of an eye compared to eternity with God. He created the way for us to be with him by sending his son, Jesus, to take on our sin and die the death we deserve. All we need to do is accept the truth of his free gift of salvation. Doing so will ensure that after we die we get to spend forever and ever with the creator of the universe. In addition to a perfect eternity with God, trusting Jesus may even provide a little extra endurance for the challenges of this world while we’re still here.
APPLY:
Are you running out of patience for having patience? Have you tried saying, “Serenity now, serenity now” to no avail? If so, try committing Romans 5:3-4 to memory. “…but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Tough situations may not be fun, but they can always be used for our good.
CLOSING PRAYER:
God of the waiting,
teach us to embody patience,
never rushing into action without your signal.
You have created a world steeped in patience;
nature follows its rhythms without haste.
May we learn from this design,
stopping to pause and wonder and praise.
When our hearts are weary from waiting,
remind us that we do not wait alone for Christ dwells in us.
Amen.
WORSHIP: