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Week 18: June 12-18

Learning Patience

Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Waiting and patience are an undeveloped skill in our age of “now.”

Our cultural norms and pace of life teach us a different story. We have to have what we want now. With the easy availability of credit we don’t even have to wait for the process of saving. In our culture waiting and patience have a negative vibe. 

As we evaluate life, we have to see life through the lens of God’s word. In so many areas God wants us to wait for certain things. We have to wait till marriage for the physical union of man and woman. Proverbs teaches us that riches gained hastily are not good. The Bible uses themes like planting seed and harvest to illustrate life realities. We read stories of Moses who was a shepherd for 40 years before he fulfilled his goal of leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Joseph’s life was on pause as an Egyptian slave during the prime of his life. Jesus was 30 when he started his public ministry. 

Where we fall short is when we place our “American cultural now” into God’s story. Why aren’t people getting saved faster? Why aren’t these teens growing spiritually faster? I deserve this job or position now! Why isn’t God letting me have what I want now? Our problem is we see time and circumstances as a barrier to God’s plan. We don’t see waiting and circumstances as a part of God’s plan.

As Christians we must renew our minds in this area. We must teach the next generation that patience and waiting are good things. In Galatians, patience is a fruit of the spirit. It is a trait that a Christian displays from the work of the Holy Spirit in his life. There are some great ways to learn patience. Grow a garden, so you can observe the time from seed to harvest. Have kids save for a big purchase instead of buying it for them immediately. Make pre-teens wait for the social media accounts, cell phones, and their own devices.

If we never experience real waiting, how will we respond when God tells us to wait? Talk with your family and friends about how each of you view the discipline of waiting. 

Pray Together

  1. Pray that God helps you change your thinking to appreciate waiting and learn patience.
  2. Pray that God will create an opportunity for a Gospel conversation this week.
  3. Pray that God will develop in you a heart of prayer and dependence on Him.
Posted by Rob Fipps with