Patience

My times are in your hands. Psalm 31:15a NIV

We’re not good at patience, are we? I know I’m not, and every time I think I am getting better, something else, something bigger, hits me and I get…. Well you know, impatient! If we believe that God is supreme, and everything including our future are in His hands, and nothing is left to chance, and we do, then why do we have to keep on learning the same lesson? I wonder if God gets impatient with our impatience? There must be times when He wonders if we will ever get past the infant stage and grow into adulthood as far as our faith is concerned.

Patience is a strange thing. You can see the lack of it in others so very easily, but we think we have it all together until the rubber hits the road, and we are tested. Let’s face it, we are tested often and that must be because we need it. How else will we ever learn to trust Him fully, and with everything? If it was all up to chance or luck, we could brush our impatience off with the feelings that we will never have to grow in patience. But God, who knows all, is supremely patient with His children.

It occurred to me again recently, just how much I like to be in control. In a personal matter I had it all figured out as if I didn’t need to have God in the picture anyway. Truth is, I didn’t think I needed Him. After all, this was one of those easy things I could figure out and do for myself. So why include, or even bother God? Doesn’t He have enough to be doing with more important people and bigger problems? Aren’t you glad that God thinks we are important enough for Him to care about those irritations which make us impatient? Deep down I am. What a great God we serve who leaves nothing to chance, and whose timing is always right.

Evil into Good

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Genesis 50:20,21

The old saying goes, “Bad things happen to good people” and how true. I’m sure bad things have happened to you, but I wonder how we cope and react as Christians? Bad things take many forms from sudden poverty, loss of employment, serious illness, and even the death of a loved one. Christians are not immune, no matter what the so called prosperity gospel preachers tell us.

Joseph had it bad. Hated by his brothers, thrown in a pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused, imprisoned for years, forgotten by those he had helped. Joseph had every reason to believe that God had abandoned him, but somehow he held on to his faith until he came out the other end of his long dark tunnel. The end of the story sees Joseph reunited with the brothers who had hated him, thrown him into a pit, and sold him to a travelling group. I’m not sure what I would have done, but Joseph was overjoyed, and wept.

He knew the bad stuff had happened for a purpose, and he recognised that reason when it came, even though it was many years later. The lesson is clear. When bad things happen, and we think God has left us alone, hang in there because there will come a time when God will turn things around, and in doing so reveal His eternal plan for your good. Our problem is that we want the answer right away, so how long are we prepared to wait for God to intervene in our broken life? Sadly, we might give up before God’s plan unfolds fully, so let’s determine to stay the course and “wait patiently before the Lord” Psalm 37:7.