Over the past 7-10 days, my family and I have found great entertainment watching this beautiful bluebird prepare and tend to her nest. She daily added to her cluster of eggs until she had laid an even half-dozen, and has since then sat on her nest almost constantly waiting for them to hatch. Assuming this is her first year of life, she likely has no idea what she is even doing; she is driven purely by instinct and yet has more patience without clear motivation than we often do with all the promises of God at our side.

“But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”

               -I Timothy 6:11

I’ve often heard fellow Christians warn against praying for patience, being careful to remember that God is unlikely simply to give it to you, but will rather give you something to be patient about. The fact is, though, if we really need patience we shouldn’t allow the fear of inconvenience to keep us from seeking it. Would we never ask God to create in us a heart full of love for fear of Him placing the nearly unlovable in our lives? Would we stray away from a desire for peace just because He might teach us to trust in Him by way some way we’re uncomfortable with? Patience is a necessary element of any good Christian’s life, and deciding we don’t really need it (e.g., “That’s just how I am!”) is like deciding we don’t really need righteousness, Godliness, faith or love.

All of us, no matter how young or old in the Lord we may be, undoubtedly have much room for growth in Him. If you’re like me and often struggle in the area of patience, take a lesson from the bluebirds and rest assured in the truth that the rewards of waiting on God far outweigh the costs of doing so. It may not always be easy, but it’s always worthwhile.

 

 

In Psalm 46:1, God is described as “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Like a modern-day storm shelter built to protect us from the physical elements of nature, our God is One Who provides us with a spiritual shelter when trials come even though the storms themself often continue to rage around us. He doesn’t speak peace to every wind that blows our way, but offers His continued presence and protection even during the most difficult of circumstances (Matthew 28:20).

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him."

                                                       -James 1:12

Trials, believe it or not, are some of the most important moments of our life according to Scripture. If our faith was never tested, how would it grow? If our hope remained unchallenged, how would we ever know it to be real? Even the crown of life promised to those who love the Lord is, as James wrote, something that only trials allow us to obtain. Of course we shouldn’t go around looking for valleys to walk through, but, when we do find ourselves in one, we should realize that it was sent our way to bring about patience and completeness in our walk with God, and continue to praise Him for Who He is (James 1:2-4). After all, God wouldn’t have reminded us through His Word to praise Him as many times as He did if it were always an easy thing to do (I Thessalonians 5:18).

Perhaps lately it seems as if the “valley of the shadow of death” has become your permanent home (Psalm 23:4). The rain won’t stop pouring, and it feels as though this trial will never end. Don’t worry; it will. God will one day wipe away all tears from the eyes of His children, and there will be no more death, sorrow, pain, or crying (Revelation 21:4). In the meantime, though, let us learn to cast all of our cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7); He cares for us more than we’ll ever know.

 

 

A few days ago we studied the rebuilding of the Temple as told by Ezra. We saw that, even though God’s timeframe is usually very different than our own, He is always faithful to finish what He begins and will not forget the plans He’s made for us (Philippians 1:6; Jeremiah 29:11). Yet in spite of the fact that God often tosses our own agenda to the side and forces us to wait upon Him, I believe it’s important for us to realize that the Lord still has a work for us to do today that’s far more important than any plans we’ve made for ourselves. Even if it means doing nothing more than simply worshipping Him, it is our Lord’s desire that we “redeem the time” He’s given us and utilize it for His glory (Ephesians 5:16).

“I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.”

                                                     -Psalm 40:1

Romans 8:28 reminds us that, if you a Christian, God will ensure that all things work together for your ultimate benefit. This doesn’t mean everything we go through in life will be easy or even enjoyable, but that, in the end, God can and will use it for His glory and our betterment. What we so often struggle with is realizing that, even during the times when He seems so distant and our hopes so uncertain, the Lord still has a plan for us that’s already been set in motion. Just because we seem to be at a standstill doesn’t mean that God is; He is always working, and will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

Perhaps life has found you in the same place it found the Israelites some 2,600 years ago. You look around and see nothing but unfinished temples and incomplete promises, all the while wondering what on earth it is you’re supposed to be doing while you wait. If this is you, here’s a simple suggestion : “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:5)  He’s up to something bigger than you are.

 

 

 

 

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

                                                         -II Peter 3:8

In the book of Ezra, we read the story of God’s people returning from their captivity to rebuild the temple of God in Jerusalem. This was probably one of the most joyous occasions in their nation’s history since the exodus from Egypt, and yet their efforts for the Lord were brought to an abrupt halt no sooner than they’d laid the foundation when adversaries of their work wrote a letter full of lies to king Artaxerxes of Persia (4:11-16). For fear of losing his authority as king, Artaxerxes immediately put an end to their efforts, having been fully convinced that the Jewish nation was nothing more than a group of insubordinate rebels who would “endamage the revenue of the kings" by neglecting to pay taxes or submit to his leadership (4:13).

For fifteen long years no progress was made on the temple, and I imagine that every time a Jew passed it by he was reminded of the incomplete work everybody had been certain God began. Shouts of joy when the the foundation was laid (3:12) were now replaced by tears of sadness as they wondered if they would ever again be able to worship God in peace. The question on everybody’s mind was the same: “Why did God let us start if He wasn’t going to let us finish?”

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

               -Philippians 1:6

Just like in the days of Ezra, oftentimes God operates on a very different timeframe than we would like Him to. We look around and see all the things He’s started in our life and wonder if He’ll ever complete them, though seemingly forgetting that our Lord is far beyond the constraints of time and earthly circumstance. What He begins, He will always finish. Even if it takes years and years of waiting, God will complete the work He has begun in you and fulfill every word of the promises He’s made (I Kings 8:56). Just have faith.

 

 

Though always worthwhile, waiting on God can be one of the hardest things we ever have to do. In a culture where everything is available to us at DSL speeds, we aren’t accustomed to waiting for anything. Whether it’s microwave popcorn, lightning fast computers, or even simply turning on the light when you come into a room, we can usually get what we want fairly quickly and without much hassle.

Yet despite our “I want it now” mentality, God often calls us to slow down and wait upon Him. There’s no such thing as  “microwave Christianity!” We can’t expect to push a button and have God make everything perfect in less than 60 seconds. For that matter, we can’t expect Him to transform us into anything close to perfection in that amount of time either. No, the Christian walk would be better compared to a “crock-pot experience”, where we must patiently wait for His perfect will to be revealed, and His perfect plan to be accomplished.  As convenient as it would be if things were otherwise, convenience is not what God is seeking; He does things the right way, regardless of how much longer it might take.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but one downside to microwaves is that, when heating large items, their job is usually not very thorough. Despite it feeling warm on the outside, a few bites into your meal you realize it’s still half-frozen in the middle. In the same way, God undertook a huge task when He adopted us into His family. Yes, we’re forgiven of our past; but our future is still a work in progress. In fact, it’s such a large task that if God were to do things the quick and easy way, the job would end up only half-done. It would appear fine on the outside – but only on the outside.  That’s not what we want, and it’s certainly not what God wants.

Perhaps you’ve been waiting on God for a long time. You’ve prayed, and you’ve prayed, and you’ve prayed, but nothing happens. If this is you, just remember that God is still there. He’s always been there. He’s just making sure that, when all is said and done, everything will have worked together to accomplish His perfect will in your life (Romans 8:28).