Patient Endurance

Sometimes I find it hard to accept God's timing. His timing is so often not the timing I would choose. I'm an impatient person, I admit, especially in certain areas of my life. But I need to learn to be patient.

Patience is talked about often in the Bible, and it's one of the fruits of the Spirit. So if I have God's Spirit and am allowing Him to control my life, this fruit, patience, should be displayed in my life. But so often it's not.

Colossians 1:10-12 talks about praying for "great endurance and patience" among other things. I think the two go hand in hand - to endure we need to be patient. I notice when I feel impatient I also feel like I want to throw in the towel and give up (ie. I don't want to endure).

I always find it comforting to hear about other people who've experienced similar struggles to me. Job seems to wrestle a bit with this concept of God's timing and his own lack of patience, and asks in chapter 6, verse 11, "What strength do I have, that I should still hope, what prospects, that I should be patient?".

I love finding real, honest people in the Bible - I love that God gives us glimpses of other people's struggles here on earth and that He shows us how mighty, awesome and loving He is, that He gives them the strength to patiently endure through these struggles.

Patient endurance, that's what I need. Again, back to my favourite verse in Habbakuk, if I look to my circumstances this is hard to do. But if I look to the hope God has given me by His grace through Jesus' death and resurrection... the hope of a place where there will be no more tears and crying, the hope of spending eternity with Him... I can patiently endure.

Lord, by Your Spirit, help me to be patient. You know it's hard at times, and a real struggle... it's hard for me, but thank You that I don't have to do it alone. Thank You that You've given me Your Spirit who enables me to patiently endure. Help me to be guided by Your Spirit every day, and develop in me a patient endurance.